Dark Side of Today
by lonewonderslove
Summary: <html><head></head>A deadly virus decimates the Wizard World then turns mortals into monsters. Justin and Alex will need to find strength in each other if they and their small band of friends are to survive. "The world might be ending, but all I need is you."  Justin/Alex</html>
1. Outbreak

**A/N:** This was written for LJ's apocabigbang challenge. **Please be aware that the later chapters contain violence, horror, some coarse language, incest, character death, and various liberties taken with New York geography** (lol, don't kill me!). There is Justin/Alex of course, and also references of Zeke/Harper, and Gigi/T.J. I worked really hard on this, but I still feel like it needs more work, haha. But I love it, anyway. I hope you guys do too! I kept adding more details right up until posting, so let me know if I missed any errors (posting here tends to mess with formatting, so bear with me). And I would love it if you reviewed every chapter, letting me know if something worked/didn't work, if there was something you liked/didn't like, etc. I'm still learning in this fanfic business, haha.

Thanks for reading! Please enjoy! (_Also, you should really check out the accompanying fanmix. The link is in my profile._ :D) (And if any of you guys are curious about the next _Principles_ update, don't worry, I'm getting back to it now that this fic is finished. *hearts*)

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><p><strong>Part 1 - Outbreak<strong>

It is cold and raining when Justin first reads about the virus in _The Wizard Times_. As his eyes scan the paper, he listens to the sounds of his family around him in the living room and kitchen.

"Hey, have you guys heard about this virus going around in the Wizard World?" he asks.

No one answers, and he cranes his neck over his shoulder to see Max has his head stuck in his sweater, and Jerry is stealing strips of bacon as Theresa finishes cooking them. Justin sighs and goes back to reading.

Alex startles him by asking, "Is it like the bird flu or something?"

He looks at her where she is sitting beside him on the couch and lazily flipping through a fashion magazine. She doesn't appear to be paying attention to him until she lifts up her brown eyes to stare at him.

She cocks one brow. "Well?"

"I don't know," he finally says with his focus back on the paper. "The article only mentions that a dozen or so wizards were admitted to the hospital with what looks like the same virus. They haven't determined the source, but they're warning everyone to be careful."

"What does that mean?" Harper asks from the chair beside him as she puts aside the dress she was embroidering.

"Oh, who cares, I'm starving." Alex flings the magazine in Justin's lap as she climbs over the back of the couch and nearly decapitates him with her foot.

Justin takes one last look at the article before he joins Alex at the kitchen table where he fails at keeping her from stealing his waffles. After that, school is the same as usual. Then it's the wizard lesson, his shift in the Sub Station, dinner, homework, and sleep. It is the same old routine for a week.

Then _The Wizard Times _reports the first deaths.

"The virus appears to be spread through physical contact or airborne pathogens. Nothing has been proven so far, but it looks to be limited to magical creatures. It is likely at this point that magic is the source of the strange virus." Justin finishes reading aloud, and he rubs his face, wondering if anyone is listening to him this time.

"Is it like what happened with Uncle Kelbo and Max?" Jerry asks around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"It can't be an infected spell if it's spreading like this."

"So, wait, what's happening? It's a flu but not?" Max asks.

"I know, this is weird," Harper adds. "I thought wizards didn't get sick like normal people."

"Not usually," Jerry answers.

"Maybe it would be better if you guys stayed away from any other wizards for a while. I don't want any of you getting sick," Theresa says, spooning eggs onto her own plate.

Everyone agrees and seems to forget about it. Alex briefly looks worried before she smirks and starts telling Harper about her latest art project. But Justin feels sick. There hasn't been an outbreak in the Wizard World like this for hundreds of years. It can't mean anything good.

-/-/-

Two weeks after the original reports, there are more victims, more deaths. It seems the Wizard World is finally taking the virus seriously.

Justin reads from a new article quoting a wizard doctor.

"As the cause of the virus is still unknown, it is suggested that all wizards and magical creatures take great care. The virus thrives on magic, and it drains the infected until there is no magic left in their bodies. Death is the imminent result." Justin swallows his fear as he folds the paper and looks at everyone gathered around the table.

"This is worse than I expected," Jerry says. He blankly stares at his French toast.

"Yeah," Justin agrees.

"What can we do?" Theresa asks.

"There's nothing to do," Jerry answers. "As long as the kids don't come into contact with infected wizards, they'll be okay."

His answer seems acceptable for the moment. Jerry borrows Justin's wand to call Uncle Kelbo. Then he calls Aunt Megan in case she hasn't heard the news.

Justin goes up to his room and tries to read a book to take his mind off things, but he ends up reading the same paragraph over and over again. Alex startles him by walking in and plopping down beside him on the bed. She rests her head on his pillow, looking at the book held on his chest.

"What gibberish are you reading now? Where are all the pictures?"

He laughs and closes the book, setting it on his bedside table. "Nothing interesting right now."

"At least you're admitting it." She doesn't say anything else after that, so Justin tilts his head toward her.

"Did you want something?" he asks.

"Eh, I was just wondering how bad you think this virus is."

"Oh. Well, nothing like this has happened for centuries, but—"

"How do you know that?" she interrupts.

Justin chuckles. "You really should pay attention to the wizard lessons. Anyway, I'm sure it's being dealt with as we speak. It should be under control soon."

Alex sits up. She wants to believe him, so she smiles. "Okay."

-/-/-

After that, the influx of wizards and magical creatures starts. They all come to the mortal world, hoping for safety from something they can't even see. It is only a matter of days before the first reports surface in hospitals in major cities across the country. But by that time, the Wizard World has had the worst of the outbreak. There is no one to run the wizard hospitals or even Wiz Tech, and it seems like everyone is sick, dying, or dead.

As a last effort of containment, the Wizard Council turns off magic. At first, Justin thinks this could be good. The virus won't be able to spread if no one can use magic. But that is the last word heard from the Wizard World. The Russo's portal in the lair stops working, opening into the wall. There is nothing on the other side. No one is there.

Jerry tries to call Uncle Kelbo again, but of course the wands don't work, and Kelbo's never been one to carry a cell phone like average people. Aunt Megan hasn't heard from him, but she also hasn't left her studio loft in Texas in a week.

"Maybe Uncle Kelbo will come here?" Max suggests.

"I'm sure he'll do that, sweetie," Theresa says.

Alex sits at the kitchen counter, leaning her chin in her hands. "I wonder if everyone else is all right?"

"Like who?" Justin asks.

"I don't know. Professor Crumbs? Anyone."

Justin doesn't know how to respond. He keeps going back to the same thought. "When everything gets straightened out, it will all go back to normal. Any day now."

"Think so?"

He gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze. In the pit of his stomach, he doesn't think so. Not this time.

Magic is dead. And the virus is still spreading.


	2. Quarantine

**Part 2 – Quarantine**

Nearly three weeks after the virus has spread to the mortal world, government officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announce their containment protocol against the unrecognized virus. Mandatory quarantine zones around all the major metropolitan areas with the highest rates of infected victims.

Central New York City is quarantined from Central Park in Manhattan to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The airports, ferries, and all roads leading in or out of the contaminated area have been suspended and secured by military personnel. Justin knows this is bad because the military only gets involved in situations like these considered to be natural disasters.

He doesn't even understand the need for quarantines at this point because it is mostly wizards found dead or dying. No magical creatures have been found yet, and Justin suspects there are some wizards hiding the unnatural bodies. That is probably the only reason why there hasn't been a total public break down, but that doesn't mean it will stay that way for much longer. Especially within the Russo household.

Jerry is still worried about Uncle Kelbo, who hasn't gotten into contact with them yet. They all hope Kelbo wasn't in the Wizard World during the outbreak, but now they can't be sure he hasn't gotten sick anyway.

Theresa is just glad her kids are all safe at home, but every day they leave for school, she wonders if they won't come back infected.

Justin has started preparing for the worst, just in case. Every day after school, he picks up a few more items from the store, creating his own survival packages. He makes enough for everyone in the family, with food, first-aid supplies, and various other essentials that could become scarce. No one questions him. Zeke even follows suit for his own family.

Alex is having a hard enough time adjusting without magic. She's always thought it would be bad if she lost the family wizard competition, but she never imagined what it would really feel like to be a normal human, so helpless. She doesn't like it at all.

Max doesn't seem particularly perturbed by anything that's happening. He's naively hopeful that everything will go back to normal soon. He doesn't seem to understand the serious implications of magic being gone and all access to the Wizard World gone with it. Everyone appreciates this because at least someone is in a good mood in the loft.

Harper makes her first protective suit against the virus, despite the fact that she's isn't a wizard and is in no danger of getting sick. It makes her feel safer, so that's all that matters. The rest of the family just can't follow her example, as if taking precautionary measures makes the situation more real.

It is all anyone can do to just pretend like nothing is happening. Life goes on. Sure, everything like food and everyday supplies are highly regulated coming into the quarantine. But kids are still required to attend school, and there are still jobs for most adults. The Sub Station even has customers for the first couple weeks.

But when people can't walk ten feet without seeing military personnel on the streets or civilians wearing masks over their noses and mouths, it makes everyone afraid to even leave their homes. Though no one goes out at night after the curfew is imposed. The only good thing Alex finds in all this is that she no longer has to work the dinner rush.

Justin thinks it is fruitless, since this whole quarantine won't do any good. Most of the people in New York aren't in any danger, but the mortals don't realize that. Justin doesn't even know if there are enough wizards to warrant the quarantine. If every wizard currently sick in the hospitals dies, then the virus will eventually die too. There won't be anyone left for the virus to infect.

It is a grim notion that Justin keeps to himself, but it makes him feel marginally safer.

-/-/-

After school one day, Justin finds Alex in the lair. No one has been in there for weeks, and everything is covered in a layer of dust. With no magic, there is no reason for wizard lessons. Justin may miss that, but he doubts Alex does. Still, she is sitting in the big armchair in front of the wizard portal.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

She shrugs.

"Well, are you just going to sit there until dinner? There's no point, you know."

She looks at him with hard, defensive eyes. "What if the portal starts working again, and we don't find out until it's too late?"

"Alex, it's been a month. What do you expect to happen? Do you really think Professor Crumbs is going to walk through the portal and declare that everything it all right?" For effect, he crosses in front of her and pulls open the door and puts his hand against the solid wall there.

"You don't know he won't." She crosses her arms and looks away, but Justin can still see her eyes watering. "How can you give up so easily? What if there are wizards hiding out in the Wizard World just like we are here?"

"I'm sorry, Alex. You're right. There is a chance this will all blow over soon. I just— I don't want you to get your hopes up about what's happening over there. We have to be realistic about the situation."

"So what are we supposed to do? Nothing? We have to do something, Justin."

He shouldn't be surprised at her inclusion of him in this, but he is tired of pretending like everything will be okay when he doesn't know much of anything.

"I know it's hard," he says, "but we have to be diligent and out-wait the virus. We can do it. After that, it might take a while, but things should get better."

"And the Wizard World?"

"If anything changes, I'm sure someone will let us know. But for now, it's probably safer if we stay out of the lair. We don't know how much longer this magic will last before it turns into the Sub Station freezer permanently."

"Why has it lasted this long?" she asks.

"It takes a lot of magic to create an alternate space that—"

"All right, never mind. I don't really want a boring explanation." She stands and leaves the lair before him.

Justin closes the portal door and looks around the room. He can't imagine not being able to come here anymore. He touches the table he used as a desk for so many years, and he leaves his fingerprints in the dust.

-/-/-

Two days later, the first hospital employees fall sick. The news makes Justin drop his cereal bowl. The contents spill all over his legs and the floor, but he is too stunned to move.

"What? What?" Max chirps, looking between the television and Justin.

"Honey, what does this mean?" Theresa asks.

"It isn't just wizards," he says. "The virus has infected mortals now too."

She gasps and folds herself into Jerry's embrace.

"This is bad," Harper says, as if finally realizing the truth of the matter.

Alex's eyes turn on Justin, eyes so full of hurt. "You lied," she says. "You said everything would be all right. You lied."

He has a flashback to their childhood, and he remembers hearing those words so often when he let Alex down. But this time, a scoop of ice scream won't fix everything. He can't control the virus, but that doesn't assuage his feeling of guilt, like this is somehow his fault. But Alex has always been able to make him feel like he's responsible for her, good or bad.

So he can't do anything but clean up the cereal and pray to whoever might be listening. The virus has infected the mortals, and now they have no chance.


	3. Evacuation

**Part 3 – Evacuation**

The virus is spreading in the North of the quarantine zone, causing chaos in the South. The Russos are afraid to leave the loft because people are rioting in the streets. There's not enough food, there's not enough supplies, and people are frightened of what might happen, what is already happening.

Justin watches the local news on low volume. He knows no one else wants to hear anything more about the virus.

An attractive black man in his mid-thirties regards the camera with a somber, open face.

_"The virus is a strain of the flu, and health officials have released a statement about the symptoms you should be aware of. If you are experiencing a high fever, cold chills, or chest congestion, you should immediately seek help from one of the hospitals in the area. If you are in one of the quarantine zones across the country, we have confirmation that portable triage tents will be made available before next week."_

The camera pans over to a young brunette woman next.

_"That's right. Hospitals within the quarantine zones are severely overwhelmed. However, more support is on the way. We'll be right back with Dr. Morgan Geoffrey who can give us more information about exactly what happens to the victims of what is being referred to on the streets as the red death."_

"Like that's not ominous." Alex leans over the back of the couch, grabs the remote from Justin's hands, and turns off the television.

"Hey!"

"Can't you stop watching the news for like two seconds, Justin? It's depressing."

"Then how are we supposed to know what's going on? Give me back the remote, Alex."

"No way. Just read a book or something. Give us a break from all the bad news, all right?"

Justin wants to do that, especially since Alex finally stopped talking about the Wizard World, but he can't pretend like this pandemic isn't happening.

"Alex, we have to be prepared, and that means getting all the information we can, any of the information we are told."

She hesitates. "What, you think they're not telling us everything?"

"Maybe. They probably don't even know what's really going on. Science doesn't have equipment to recognize magic."

"But if the virus is spreading through mortals, what does that matter?"

"I don't know if it does. That's why I'm watching the news. Please, Alex."

"Fine." She rolls her eyes and sits beside him. She flips on the television without looking at him.

_"If you're just joining us, we are here with Dr. Geoffrey, who is going to give us more information about the virus and what happens to the victims. Doctor?"_

The camera switches to a double screen of the news anchor and the doctor via satellite.

_"Yes, thank you. In the one month we've known about this virus, it has apparently mutated at least once. The first victims presented with signs of a normal case of the flu. They had fevers, chills, aching, and fatigue. Then they developed extreme respiratory congestion and degeneration of brain function resulting in death within one week after presenting symptoms."_

_"And these are not normal flu symptoms, Doctor?"_

_"These were only the symptoms of the first wave of victims. The virus has appeared to mutate so that there can be neurovascular dystrophy which affects the veins in the body, and many victims were unable to walk. Most recent reports are of fluid-filled blisters appearing on the skin, and the victims vomiting blood before their deaths."_

_"And what are hospitals doing about this?_

_"There isn't much that can be done at this point. The virus is a drug-resistant strain we have never seen before, but everyone is doing their best to contain the virus. It is spreading so fast, however, it is difficult to keep track of the infected numbers. Due to this high threat level, the CDC is working around the clock in pursuit of treatment and a cure."_

_"Right. Can you tell us exactly how fast the virus progresses?"_

_"There is an incubation period of about twenty-four hours before victims show any symptoms. After that, it is difficult to say. The length of time is different for each person infected, but none have been more than seven days."_

_"And the mortality rate?"_The news anchor actually looks a little pale then.

The doctor clears his throat. _"One hundred percent."_

Alex turns off the television again, looking at Justin. "Are you happy now?"

"Why would I be happy?"

"You got your information. Does it make you feel better?"

"No. Actually, it's worse than I thought. The virus isn't behaving like a normal virus. I mean, the symptoms are incongruent with any known flu virus."

"Well, it's the freaking red death, so maybe it doesn't care about how it's supposed to be acting. It's just killing people as best it can." Her voice drips a venom he's sure should be more deadly than anything else in this world.

"I'm just willing to bet the strange symptoms have something to do with originating in wizards and magical creatures. Maybe the virus doesn't know what to do in bodies without magic in them."

"Then why would it suddenly transfer to mortals anyway?"

"To survive. The whole reason viruses can mutate is for survival. I bet when wizards came to the mortal world, the virus couldn't infect mortals. But when all the infected wizards died, the virus had to change so that it's host range could expand. So mutating to fit a mortal's body altered the symptoms."

"Okay, but I thought the virus feeds on magic. Didn't the newspaper say the virus drained the wizards of their magic until they died?"

"Exactly. At least, that's what the Wizard Council assumed. The thing about viruses is they are hard to understand. We don't know what will happen next if we barely even understand what's happening now. I don't think these scientists can do anything, find a treatment or a cure, without knowing the virus started with magic. This might be a hopeless situation."

"So, what? We just wait until we're all infected? So humanity dies? That's stupid." Alex storms off, and while Justin might normally chase after her, he can't this time. He can't do anything, and that's what hurts the most.

-/-/-

Alex can't decide if she wants to rage at everyone, the world, or settle in a corner and cry until it is over. She can't handle any more. She doesn't want to admit the Wizard World might be gone for good, especially when looking at the events around them in the mortal world.

There is no magic to fix this problem. Even Justin can't do anything. That makes her feel worse. Like there really is nothing left if Justin is at a loss. It makes her feel cold with hopelessness.

-/-/-

Four days later, the victims of the virus exhibit new symptoms, and the government announces the evacuation plan for central New York City.

_"In order to make this as safe as possible for the citizens within the quarantine zone, over the next three weeks, everyone is asked to resume normal life. Remain calm until your designated date and time. You can request to be escorted to one of the many evacuation points across the area. Every household should receive an evacuation notice with all the information you need. If you do not receive your notice, you are instructed to contact your local police."_

"Three weeks? How can it take three weeks to evacuate us if we're in so much danger?" Theresa asks.

"There's a lot of people here," Jerry says.

It doesn't matter how long it takes, the Russos begin to feel the excitement. Because they are being evacuated. They immediately start packing their belongings. Justin doesn't bother telling his family they won't be allowed to take everything. Probably only a bag or two per person. He stares at his action figures and comics, wondering if he'll even be able to come back for them. He has the feeling this pandemic is only going to get worse before it gets better. If it gets better.

-/-/-

Things don't get better. News of the evacuation only makes the street riots worse. People stop going to work and school, and the police can't arrest everyone. While they are sleeping, the Sub Station is broken into for what little money, food, and supplies they have in the kitchen and freezer. Jerry boards up the windows and doors the next day. The loss of his business doesn't seem as important as it would have two months ago.

Two days after that, they receive their evacuation notice.

Theresa reads it aloud. "Evacuation point is Holland Tunnel on Friday. Jerry and Theresa Russo with three children, Justin, Alexandra, and Maximilion. Two large suitcases per person, one car per family. There will not be a toll in effect."

"Jersey," Jerry says. "I have a cousin in Newark. We can head there."

"What about me?" Harper asks, biting her lip and obviously trying not to cry. "Does this mean I can't come with you?"

"Oh, honey, no." Theresa envelops her in a hug. "We won't leave you behind, no matter what. You are part of our family. Maybe there is a letter at your apartment, and if not, I'll call to make arrangements. They have to let us take you, Harper. Don't worry."

While Theresa and Harper go to the Finkles' empty apartment, Jerry and Justin look over a map, planning out what to do after finally leaving the quarantine zone. Justin writes down their cousin's address on six separate pieces of paper, one for each of the family.

"Why are you doing that?" Alex asks.

"In case we get separated, so we know where to meet up."

"How do you think we'll be separated?"

"I don't want to think about it. It's just a precaution, Alex. Don't lose it."

-/-/-

Justin has already filled four bags with things he thinks are necessary, not even counting his disaster pack. He makes hard choices. He takes out his Captain Jim Bob Sherwood collectibles so he can keep more practical items like clothes and food. He's deliberating over the few books he chose when Alex walks in his room. She lies on his bed and heaves a loud sigh.

"When will this all be over?" she asks.

"Soon, hopefully. If this evacuation means anything. Did you finish packing already?"

"Haven't started."

He whirls around to give her an incredulous look. "Alex! This isn't the time for you to be rebellious."

"We have four days, chill out. Oh god, are you bringing books with you, Justin?"

"These aren't romance novels. They have a lot of information that can be useful in times like this."

"Whatever, you're still a dork."

He realizes there's no arguing with her. He puts both books back in one bag and sits on the bed by Alex's feet.

"Why didn't you go with Mom and Harper?" he asks.

"Have you seen the crazy people out there? It's bad enough we have to deal with that to get to school without the subway. I can't stand it."

"Not even for Harper?"

"Oh come on. If we had to, we'd smuggle her in the trunk with the bags, right? It's not that big of a deal."

"Whatever you say."

"I'm just tired of this already. It needs to be over."

"Grow up, Alex. This is a virus that hasn't been seen in this world. There might never be a cure. Thousands of people and creatures have died, and there will be millions more, even if this virus can be contained. We don't even know that it can. This isn't about you, so think about someone else for a change."

She's off his bed and slamming his door too fast for him to even react. He sits in the dark of his room for a long time.

-/-/-

Justin takes out the garbage and adds it to the pile in the alley that hasn't been collected for weeks. He stares at the wall across from the boarded up Sub Station. In faded red spray paint, someone wrote _The Red Death is upon us._He wonders if that's how the name started.

Beneath that, scribbled in white chalk is _It will kill us all There is no hope_. In big bold letters over that is written _THE END OF THE WORLD_. He thinks they might be right.

Justin returns to the loft right before Theresa and Harper, who are frazzled and shaken.

"It's like civil order has disappeared out there. No one cares what they're doing or anything." Theresa sits on the couch and holds Max in her arms.

"We were almost run over by a car! We were on the sidewalk!" Harper throws her hands up in the air, then she disappears down the stairs to her room.

"Did you get Harper's evacuation straightened out?" Justin asks.

"I found the letter for her parents," Theresa says, "but I'll have to call to get Harper registered with us."

"Okay."

"Have you heard what the news reports are saying now?" Jerry says, not taking his eyes off the television. "There's something wrong with the victims in the northern area of the quarantine zone. They're attacking each other or something. Attacking everyone. A barrier has started being set up along 23rd street."

Absently, he adds, "I can't believe this is happening."

There isn't a lot of information about exactly what is going on with the virus victims, which frightens Justin even more. The virus is unstoppable, and now the victims don't even seem human. It is like they are turning into monsters.


	4. Monsters

**Part 4 – Monsters**

No one understands why kids still have to go to school when all the adults are acting like crazy morons. Like it is supposed to keep them safer in a way, giving them something to do. Well, half of the student body is absent for one reason or another, and the few teachers don't care enough to teach anything worthwhile. Most days, they just spend their time talking about their feelings of hopelessness, until one girl commits suicide. Then no one talks about anything except evacuations being near.

But no one gets to see that happen. Two days before the Russo's scheduled evacuation, the virus shows up in Tribeca Prep. In the last class period of the day, blood curdling screams come from the hallway. The science teacher opens the door to find students running through the halls as if their lives depend on it. He grabs one boy by the arm to stop him.

"What's happening?"

"These people came into our class and just started attacking us!" He tears free and joins the mob again.

When the science teacher turns back to the small class, he is pale. "All right, everyone. Just stay calm. Grab your belongings, and exit the school as quickly and calmly as possible. All right?"

Alex sticks close to Justin's side as the class files out into the hall. It's hard to tell what's going on with all the people running around, and he can't even hear his heart hammering in all the noise. He takes Alex by the hand and starts to push through the crowd, toward the front entrance.

"Justin!" Alex is pulled away by the force of the crowd, and when he turns around, he can't even see her among all the bodies.

"Alex! Where are you?" He pushes around the people, eyes roaming the crowd for his sister. The swarm finally breaks free in the front hall, but that's when there is another chorus of chilling screams that sounds like people are dying.

The first sight that really reaches Justin's brain is the bloody students crawling along the floor, being trampled by the others trying to escape. Oh god.

"Alex! Alex! Where are you?" His throat is tight, but he has to find her. "Please, answer me!"

Someone grabs his ankle, and he falls to the ground. People are already stepping on his arms, so he curls in around himself. But when he sees the blond girl with bloodshot eyes snarling at him, he kicks at her face until he hears a sickening crunch and the grip on his ankle loosens. Justin takes hold of the nearest body to pull himself back to his feet.

"Justin!" Alex's frightened face suddenly appears in the crowd, and Justin doesn't care how many people he knocks over to get to her. He takes hold of her shoulders before he sees she's linked hands with Harper and Zeke, and he's so glad to see them safe. They form a human chain as Justin leads them down the wall of lockers, hoping the back entrance might be less crowded.

Harper screams behind him, and Justin realizes they are cornered by people with red pustules on their faces, people are who spitting up blood. A door opens at his side, making his heart leap in chest. Mr. Laritate waves them all into his office and locks the door behind them.

The chaos is suddenly muffled, and Justin collapses. Alex kneels beside him, and her body is shaking as much as his own. There are two other people taking refuge in the principal's office, Gigi and T.J.  
>"They're infected," Zeke says. "How can they be below 23rd street? I thought. . ."<p>

Justin can barely even think beyond the buzzing in his ears. They're safe, but how many more people out there need help? Justin starts, then jumps to his feet, going for the door.

"Don't go out there," Mr. Laritate says.

"I have to. I have to find Max."

"I'll go with you." Alex holds onto his arm, but Justin pushes her away.

"No, I'll be faster if I'm not worrying about you too. Just stay here, and I'll be back with Max."

"But what if—" Her eyes start watering, and she hugs him tight before letting Harper pull her away.

Justin nods to Zeke. "Lock the door behind me, buddy."

He opens the door and rushes headlong into the fray. He can't tell the difference between the infected and the poor students trying to escape. They all look the same, with these crazed expressions. Justin steels himself and shoves through, focused on finding his brother.

-/-/-

Alex wraps her arms around her knees and waits for Justin to return with Max. There is no other outcome. They will both return safe and sound. She watches Zeke holding Harper, Gigi clutching her purse to her chest while she slowly rocks back and forth, and T.J. leaning his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. At least there's another wizard who didn't get sick, she thinks.

Mr. Laritate is turning the dials on his radio, searching for one of the local stations that might be able to give them more information. Alex doesn't have to hear it from some official to know the virus is spreading and probably unstoppable. Just open the blinds and look out the window. No shit.

". . .has declared a state of emergency. Just south and north of the recently constructed 23rd street barrier, people have been reporting violent attacks of the virus, and precautionary measures are being taken. Please, return to your homes where armed military personnel will escort all residents to the evacuation points. I repeat, the areas being evacuated immediately are. . ."

Alex stops listening because seriously? The virus is way past 23rd street, thank you very much.

"That's us," Zeke says in response to the radio announcement. "But why won't they come to the schools for the students?"

"I don't know," Mr. Laritate answers. "Maybe they already know we've been hit."

"They know the virus has reached Tribeca, but they won't rescue us? How can they do that?"

"If we can all get back home, we'll be okay, right?" T.J. asks. "Then let's just leave right now before we miss it."

"I do have my car, and we can squeeze if we have to."

"Don't you have a car too, Gigi?" Harper asks.

The blonde looks up with startled brown eyes. "Yeah."

"Perfect. We all live on Waverly Place, so let's ride together."

"We have to wait for my brothers," Alex says. "We can't leave without them."

"If we wait, we might miss the evacuation," T.J. whines.

"Do you really want to go out there right now, anyway?"

"Evacuating such large areas will take a long time. I don't think we need to worry." Mr. Laritate puts an end to the discussion.

Alex is grateful because she can't even consider going anywhere without Justin and Max. She will wait until they come back all right.

-/-/-

"Max! Max, can you hear me?" The further into the school Justin gets, the fewer students he sees. There are the occasional motionless bodies on the floor, but he can't bear to see if they are still alive.

Justin checks every classroom and the bathrooms. At one point he ducks into the library when he spots people who are vomiting blood and foaming at the mouth. He takes the back exit into another hallway and from there goes straight into the boys' locker room. And there, sitting on one of the benches is Max. Relief floods through him even as he realizes there is a body of a boy on the floor next to his brother, and Max's knuckles are bruised and bloody.

"Max. Max." Justin approaches him slowly. "Are you okay?"

His brown eyes start to water. "Justin. Everyone was screaming and running. He came out of nowhere, and I—"

"It's okay, Max, I understand." He can barely take his eyes off the body. "I'm glad you're all right. Were there other people in here?"

"Yeah, they left through the gym."

"Right." Justin wishes they could just duck out that way too, but Alex and the others are stuck in the office. "Let's go back to Mr. Laritate's office where everyone is waiting."

Max gives one last look to the unconscious boy before following Justin. The halls are quieter, but Justin knows danger could be right around the corner. When they get close to the front hall, they both slink across the lockers, never looking too closely at the bodies they step over in case they recognize someone.

Justin stops at the last corner. One of the infected is huddled over a convulsing body. He doesn't want to know what's happening.

"As quiet as you can, make your way to the door." He pushes Max in front of him until he starts walking along the wall.

Justin looks around him and picks up a discarded umbrella. It's the best weapon he can find, so it will have to do. He watches the infected, praying it won't hear them. Max gently raps on the principal's door, and the infected twists its head. Please, no. Don't turn around, don't turn around.

His eyes stray to the door as it opens, and Alex's elated cry echoes through the hall. The infected is on his feet and running before Justin knows it, and he rushes to cut it off.

"Go, go!" he yells. Justin catches the infected at the right moment, and swings the umbrella into the boy's skull. The body goes tumbling to the side where it falls, twitching. An angry, inhuman yowl comes from down the hall, hurrying Justin back into motion.

"We have to go now, you guys! Come on!" All seven people run from the office, and they make a break for the front entrance. They curve around the side of the building to the parking lot that still has too many cars in it. There are bodies of students who never made it that far.

"We need to split up," Mr. Laritate calls as they run. All eight of them stop at his car. "Gigi, you should take T.J. and Zeke to their homes. Can you manage that?"

She nods.

"All right. Good luck, you guys."

Zeke hugs Harper before he follows the other two through the lot. The rest of them pile into Mr. Laritate's car. Gigi follows Mr. Laritate for most of the way, until they separate off Waverly Place. It takes them nearly half an hour. There are people, both infected and not, in the road along with abandoned vehicles. But the closer they get to home, the quieter the streets get.

"Are we too late? Did we miss the evacuation?" Harper wonders as she peers outside the rear passenger window.

Justin fishes his phone from his pocket. He first tries their dad, but the phone goes to voice mail. Same with their mom.

"No one's answering," he says. "I don't know what that means."

Mr. Laritate turns on his car radio, seeking stations for any news. A man's voice comes on the air.

"Emergency evacuations have been completed throughout most of the South in the quarantine zone. If you are listening to this, and you have not been evacuated, you are urged to report to your original check point for decontamination."

"That's good," Justin says. "We can still make it. Drop us off at the corner, Mr. Laritate. We'll be fine from here."

"How are you going to get to the check point?" he asks.

"The car might still be in the back street, and if it's not, well, there are plenty of cars on the street, right?"

"Do you want me to come back, so we can go to the check point together?"

"You don't have to. I'm sure you'll be ready a lot faster than us." He looks at Alex, and she turns away guiltily.

"Well, I can't leave you kids alone like this."

"We're hardly kids, Mr. Laritate. We can handle ourselves, and we don't want to make this harder for you."

"And do you think your parents would ever forgive me for leaving you?"

"Please, Mr. Laritate." Alex reaches up from the back seat to put her hand on his arm. "We'll be okay. Justin won't let anything happen to us."

Mr. Laritate looks to Justin for confirmation. He nods and says, "Promise." Although he hopes this is one promise he can keep.

He pulls up to the sidewalk. Justin waits until Alex, Harper, and Max are out of the car before he leans in the window.

"We really appreciate this, Mr. Laritate. Stay safe."

"You too. I hope we see each other again, Justin. You and your sister were always two of my favorite students, you know."

Justin nods and waits until he drives off, then he turns to the others. "All right, we have to make this quick. When we get inside, grab your bags. I have disaster packs for everyone, but we can't load ourselves down, okay? And we don't have time to waste."

He takes the lead as they make their way down Waverly Place. All of the shops are dark. The street is wide and empty.

"Did they take everyone?" Max asks.

"Looks like it."

"It's so quiet," Alex mumbles.

"At least it looks like the infected victims haven't made it this far."

They reach the loft without incident. Inside, everyone sets to gathering their belongings. Justin tries not to look at his valued collectibles as he leaves his room. He has three duffel bags with him, and he finds his parents' disaster packs in the kitchen, so he grabs those too.

Harper is the first one to come from the staircase with her bags.

"Will you call Zeke and see what's happening, then help the others with their stuff?" Justin asks. He doesn't wait before he goes down to the Sub Station, into the lair. He grabs a few important objects, like their family spell book, a history of magic, the wands they haven't touched for months, and the small jar of un-do dust. He can't just leave such a large part of their family history, so he hopes no one is checking luggage at the evacuation point.

When he gets back upstairs, Max and Alex are ready with their bags and suitcases.

Harper wrings her hands together, twisting her bracelets around her wrists. "Zeke said they're still together. There are infected people up where Gigi lives, so they went to T.J.'s apartment, then Zeke's. They're on their way here now."

"Okay, we'll wait for them. Alex, will you get some clothes together for Gigi?"

"What?" She snaps.

"If Gigi couldn't get to her house, that means she couldn't get any of her stuff. Just grab her some clothes and what else. There's one more duffel bag in the closet."

She doesn't argue with him, but he can hear her grumbling up the stairs. Then Justin and Harper use the food that's left in the fridge to make a decent meal of egg omelets and salad for everyone. Max uses the rest of the milk in a bowl of cereal, and Justin drinks the orange juice. He's packing some sodas in one of Max's bags when Zeke arrives with T.J and Gigi.

While the three guests eat, Justin inspects Max's swollen and bruised knuckles. There are only a couple abrasions that have already started to harden and scab over. Max is uneasy but otherwise fine, so Justin is happy to assume his brother is not infected.

Alex takes her time coming downstairs with her bag, and she tosses it at Gigi's feet. "Some of my extra clothes and underwear."

Gigi nervously rubs one of her arms. "Thanks, Alex."

"Everyone eat up. The check point is probably crowded, so who knows how long it will take us to get through," Justin says.

"Are we all going to Holland Tunnel?" T.J. asks. "Do you think our parents are there?"

"I don't know."

"My dad isn't," Gigi says. "He was arrested for trying to bribe one of the guards to smuggle us out of the quarantine zone. I don't even know if he's okay."

"If he's being held in the local station, he was probably already evacuated like everyone else." T.J.'s comforting smile ends up wavering too much to do any good, but Gigi nods anyway.

Justin looks around the table, looking at each of the people he feels responsible for. They all have seen a lot today, and he wonders when it will catch up to them. They can't let anything slow them down. They have to reach the evacuation point. To reunite with their family members. To get as far away from the quarantine zone as possible. It's their only chance. If they stay too much longer, they might end up like those poor souls in the school, dead or monsters. Justin knows which one he'd rather be, but he tries not to think about it. They're all going to get out of there. They have to. It is their only hope of surviving.


	5. Massacre

**Part 5 – Massacre**

The Russo's car is still in the back street, so they put most of their bags in the trunk and backseat around Max while Justin and Alex take the front seats. Gigi takes T.J., Zeke, and Harper in her car. Even though he knows it's a bad idea, Justin gives Alex the map so she can navigate their way to the evacuation point.

"It looks like we can take Hudson to Watts. That will get us to the entrance for Holland Tunnel."

"You sure?"

"Don't give me the map if you're going to ask that every time, Justin."

"Sorry, sorry. I just wish we knew what the area looks like. I mean, the check point has to be outside Holland Tunnel, so maybe it's on Watts Street."

"That I really don't know. Guess we'll find out."

They drive most of the way, with Alex only giving the occasional direction to turn. Once they get on Hudson, it is a straight shot. Justin acts like he doesn't see the people in the street. He can't tell if they're infected or not, so it's best to just pretend they aren't there. Max is utterly silent in the back, and in fact, he's barely said a word since Justin found him at school. Alex drums her fingers on the center console, right next to Justin's elbow.

"Can you stop doing that, please?" he asks, trying to keep his irritation under control.

To spite him, she taps her fingers on his arm before she laughs and leans against her door. Justin is actually glad she can still find it in herself to laugh. He doesn't know if he could do that. Not until they get out of there, until they're all safe. Too late, he realizes the laugh was faked. He sees Alex looking at Max through the rear view mirror. She's trying to be strong for him, act like nothing is as serious as it seems. The same thing he's been trying to do for her.

He smiles wryly to himself. There's nothing he can say to make this better. It's best to just keep pretending.

Harper calls Alex after fifteen minutes of driving, and they talk about what they'll do when they get to New Jersey. Go to a salon, get a manicure and pedicure, go to the mall and buy clothes that don't smell like quarantine. Justin doesn't bother telling her that everyone being evacuated will probably end up in another quarantined part of New Jersey until they all get cleared by the CDC. He lets Alex have her hopes for the future.

A drive that should have taken twenty minutes takes over thirty, and when they get close to Watts Street, the road is full of cars all haphazardly stopped everywhere. Justin pulls up, turns off the car, and starts to get out.

Alex grabs his arm. "What are you doing?"

"The cars are stopped for a reason, Alex. Maybe vehicles aren't allowed through the check point. I'll go take a look."

"Well, stop trying to go everywhere by yourself."

So Alex helps Max from the back, and they meet up with the other four.

"Should we bring our bags?" Harper asks.

"Just one each for now. Let's see what's going on up the street first. We can come back if we need to."

They make their way up the road, and Justin is at least grateful there aren't any bodies around. As they round the last corner that puts them on Watts, there is a great commotion. A crowd of people have gathered around the entrance to Holland Tunnel where it has been closed off by armored trucks of the military. These hundreds of people are left stranded.

Justin surveys the area, trying to figure out why the people aren't being let through the tunnel. He smiles to see the familiar figure of Mr. Laritate, who parts from the crowd to join them.

"Oh, Justin, I'm glad you're all right, but this might be for nothing. They aren't letting anyone through now. They're afraid of the virus."

"What about the decontamination protocol?" Justin asks.

"They won't tell us anything except that they can't let us go yet. They're waiting for some kind of confirmation, it sounds like."

"So we just have to wait here? For how long?" T.J. sounds near hysteria.

"Stay calm. There's not a lot we can do right now."

"Yeah, but if we wait for too long, the virus will catch up to us, won't it?" Zeke is holding onto Harper like he'll never let her go.

"I don't know. There's nothing we can do except wait."

"I'm sick of waiting," Alex mutters, voicing what they are all thinking.

As the others commiserate, Justin pulls Mr. Laritate aside.

"Have you seen any of our parents around?" he asks.

"So far, I've only seen the back of people's heads. But you know, I don't think your parents would have left without you unless they weren't given a choice."

Justin nods, hoping Jerry and Theresa are already in a safe house in Jersey. It would mean two less people to worry about.

-/-/-

They wait for another twenty minutes before the crowd starts to get restless. The grey clouds above them are heavy with rain, and there is thunder in the distance. Justin can hear someone berating one of the officers, the people around them getting riled up. He stands on the hood of the nearest car to see what's happening.

People are pushing and pulling around the officers, trying to get past them, past the armored trucks, away from danger, toward safety.

Alex's small hands tug at his pants. "Can you see Mom and Dad?"

Justin tears his eyes away from what is sure to be a riot if the officers don't quell it soon, and he scans over the people. He wonders if he would even recognize his parents by the tops of their heads.

"Mom! Dad!" he calls. Then once a few people look at him, "Theresa and Jerry Russo!"

His shouts are drowned out by the various cries in the crowd. It seems he's inadvertently added to the boiling tension around them. People start shouting the names of their own loved ones, and they're suddenly swarming the guards.

The first shot rings across the street. Justin doesn't know what's happened, but then there are hysterical cries and more gunshots, more bullets flying. Alex yanks him from the car, and their group hunkers down behind it for protection.

The firing and screams turn into a tumultuous cyclone of fear. An older woman stumbles past the car before she falls, unmoving. Alex stares at the blood seeping from her back, and the noise fades into the background.

"We have to make a run for it," Justin says.

The screams have already lessened, which indicates less people alive, but the guards haven't stopped firing. Justin leans his head over the hood of the car. He watches a man with short brown hair shoot a woman crawling on the ground.

"We have to go. Now. Stay low, move along the cars." He watches them progress in a line, snaking around the cars. Mr. Laritate, T.J., Gigi, Zeke, Harper, Max. . .

"Alex, what the hell are you doing?" He shakes her shoulder. "You have to go."

Feet crunch on the road behind him, and Justin freezes. Oh god, please don't shoot. He positions himself over Alex, who is finally moving out of her shock.

"Turn around slowly with your hands up." The man's voice doesn't sound much older than him, but Justin does as he's told. He gently kicks Alex into motion, preparing to hold off the guard if he needs to. But the guard raises his gun, pointed directly at Justin's heart.

Then Alex is screaming in outrage, and her fury creates a force of wind that knocks the guard onto his back fifteen feet away. Justin can't breathe, and Alex is tugging him away, but he surges forward. He kneels over the guard who is still breathing but unconscious. He takes the automatic rifle and clip at the guy's belt before he takes off running after Alex.

They run as fast as they can, down the street until the shots die down. They don't stop until they reach their car and find the others safely waiting. Mr. Laritate is in the back with Max when Justin and Alex get in.

"I hope you don't mind. My car is stuck up a ways ahead. I only had time to take one bag."

Justin can't speak, so he just shakes his head. He puts the rifle and clip across the dashboard.

"Where'd you get that thing?" Max asks, alarmed.

He looks at Alex still catching her breath. He just starts the car and pulls off onto a side road, checking his rear view mirror to make sure the others are following in Gigi's car.

"Where are we going?" Max asks. "That was the only evacuation point for miles, right?"

"We can't go north," Mr. Laritate says. "That's primarily where the virus is coming from."

"Oh, what if Mom and Dad were there, what if they were—"

"I don't know. I don't know." Justin can barely think straight.

He probably shouldn't be driving. That's his last coherent thought before he suddenly stops. Gigi screeches to a halt behind him, and Justin is already out of the car. He walks as far as he can before he doubles over and loses the egg omelet he ate. He is shaking, and he might be crying when Alex kneels beside him.

"You said they were already evacuated. I don't think Mom and Dad were in the crowd." She rubs his back, and he realizes she doesn't know.

"Do you know what you did?" he asks. He checks over his shoulder to see that Gigi is standing beside her car.

"What?"

He looks directly into her eyes. "You used magic. You used magic to keep the guard from shooting me."

"But—"

"This is unbelievable." He laughs. "You can still use magic, Alex."

He pulls her into his embrace, and the feeling that resonates in him then is the recognizable thrum of magical power. He can't believe he didn't recognize it before. The world may be in serious trouble, but magic is still alive. That alone gives him the motivation to continue.

When he pulls away, he can see her eyes light up in a way he hasn't seen for months. He almost can't contain his laugh. The magic, the moment is incredible, but it can wait. First, they have to get out of the quarantine.

Alex helps him to his feet, and they go back to the car.

"We need to go south," Justin says. "That might be our only option right now."

"What if the military is shooting everyone at the check points there too? Won't that be too dangerous?" asks Gigi.

"Then we'll figure something out. We just have to try."

Justin lets Mr. Laritate drive while Max takes the passenger seat. Alex sits in the back with him, squished to his side amongst all the bags. She holds onto his arm, and he feels her magic as closely as he feels his own. She leans her head against his shoulder, and he rests his head on hers. He closes his eyes and thinks they really will be okay. They have a new direction to aim for.


	6. Fellowship

**Part 6 – Fellowship**

When evening comes, Mr. Laritate suggests stopping to rest. Justin can't help feeling like any time they waste is precious, but the tired faces all around him are convincing.

"I guess we can't go back home," Max says.

Justin doesn't point out that they went around Tribeca a while back.

"Do you think it's safe to try a motel?" he suggests. They haven't seen any signs of the infected around.

"I don't see why not. Most people probably weren't staying in motels this whole time."

"Okay." He looks at the map. "There should be one up the street on the left."

They almost miss the driveway in the dark. The whole building is dark, and Justin figures that's even better. Mr. Laritate pulls the car into the first parking space, and T.J. pulls up beside them.

"We're staying here?" Harper asks when she steps out of the car. "Wouldn't we be safer staying in the cars?"

Alex snorts. "Please, if I have to spend one more minute with Justin in the back seat, I'm going to—"

He shoves a duffel bag into her arms, effectively shutting her up. No one else argues, and while everyone grabs their belongings, Justin checks out the front office. The doors are locked, and there is definitely no one inside. He takes out his heavy metal flashlight, and with one quick hit, he smashes the glass in the door. Unlocking the latch, he walks in and flips on the lights.

He goes around the front counter and looks at the computers. It is an electronic key card system he could probably hack and figure out how to activate a few of the cards, but that would take too much time. Alex walks in the door, the others crowded behind her. Justin doesn't look at them as he breaks into the door to the back office and lets himself in. He comes out with two master keys.

"How are we going to do this?" he asks. "I don't think anyone should be alone."

"Good call. I'll room with Max," Mr. Laritate says. Justin nods, grateful the only adult is looking out for the youngest among them.

"We can take a room." Zeke gestures between himself and T.J. who simply shrugs.

Justin looks at the remaining girls, realizing there aren't an even number of males and females.

"Harper can go with Gigi, and we'll stay together," Alex says, taking control.

No one seems to object, and he's not sure why they would anyway.

"All right, that sounds good. Let's get to our rooms, get cleaned up. Then in about an hour, let's meet in room 104 for dinner."

Justin gives one master key to Mr. Laritate to let everyone else into their rooms. As they pass the cars, he sees something that makes him stop. He hands the room key to Alex as he opens the car door. He takes the rifle he stole from the military officer who almost shot him then catches up to where Alex is holding open the door. She looks at him, at the gun, but doesn't say a word and just goes into the room before him. She drops all of the bags on the floor on her way to the bathroom. Justin almost laughs because that is so Alex, but instead he moves the bags against the wall, out of the way.

When he hears the shower running, Justin turns on the television to watch the news. There is only one local station still broadcasting. A pretty blond woman unemotionally stares into the camera.

_"Earlier this afternoon, there was a riot outside the Holland Tunnel evacuation point. When military personnel tried to calm the crowd, they were attacked and overrun. The end result left over fifty dead, and this tragedy has forced the governor to request the closing of all other evacuation points. No one will leave the quarantine zone until further notice. The governor released a statement that they are working on a new plan to get everyone to safety as soon as possible. If you are still in the quarantine zone, do not panic. You are advised to find somewhere safe and limit your contact with other people to minimize exposure to the virus. We'll be right back with news from the governor of Chicago about their quarantine zone and Dr. Felton from the CDC about recent developments toward a cure for the virus."_

Really? So it is the people's fault they were senselessly killed? Justin wants to throw the television out the window, so instead he shuts it off and goes through the food supply. He still has all of his provisions that won't expire for a long while. He'd rather not use them if he doesn't absolutely have to. But next to the television is a room service menu that gives him an idea.

He crosses the room and knocks on the bathroom door.

"What?" Alex yells through the door.

"I'm going to find the kitchen, see if there's any food!"

". . .What?"

Justin sighs and tries the door handle. Of course. Alex hasn't locked a door a day in her life. He opens it enough to poke his head in, and the warm steam prickles against his skin.

"I said I'm going to find the kitchen to look for food."

Alex pulls the curtain aside and Justin immediately averts his eyes to the tile floor.

"Wait for me," she says. "I'll go with you."

"No, I'll be fine. Just stay here and wait for everyone else. I'll be back."

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"I want to, you know, apologize. For before."

He frowns at the white tile. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry for blaming you. For taking out my frustrations on you. I know you didn't deserve that."

"Wow, that's deep coming from you, Alex. And you choose while you're in the shower to do this?" He chances a brief look at her, wet hair and glistening arm, before looking away again. "You have great timing."

"Ch, whatever. You're the one letting out all the warm air. Get out."  
>He hears the metal rings slide against the rail as she closes the curtain. He smiles to himself and shuts the door. Before he can think about anything he shouldn't, he grabs the master key card and a flashlight. He considers taking the gun, but instead hopes he won't need it.<p>

-/-/-

Alex dresses in fresh clothes before she lies on the bed farthest from the door. She holds up her hand above her and wiggles her fingers. She can feel the magic in her now, and she might never have realized that if Justin hadn't been in danger. She doesn't really remember what she did. It was an automatic response for her, to try to save him.

She wonders if she could do it again when there is a knock at the door. Alex jumps up and lets Harper and Gigi in the room. Both girls are showered and clean too. Alex almost feels awkward when the three of them sit back on the bed, but Harper is genuinely friendly with Gigi. Alex realizes she has barely even seen Gigi let alone spoken to her for two years. The blonde has obviously changed.

She isn't wearing any makeup when Alex is pretty sure the old Gigi wouldn't have been caught in public without it. Her hair is longer and starting to curl as it dries. And she has this air of shyness Alex can't get over. She wonders what happened to Gigi, but when she looks at Harper, she knows two years is a long time.

They have all grown up. None of them are the same people. Harper wears more normal clothes, even though Alex thought that would have been impossible, especially after her best friend started dating Zeke. She's more confident in herself, and she doesn't need the outfits to get attention.

Alex is different too, although she still can't quite figure out who she wants to be.

"Are you okay?" Harper asks because Alex has been staring into space.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. 'Cause you won't believe what Gigi just told me." Harper has this big grin Alex recognizes as a secret waiting to be divulged.

"No, don't—" Gigi tries to stop Harper, but the redhead promises that Alex won't laugh.

"Did you wonder why Gigi and T.J. were already in Mr. Laritate's office?"

Alex looks at Gigi, whose cheeks are coloring pink. "No, but now I'm curious."

"They were skipping school together." Harper giggles, and Alex thinks she must be missing something. "They're totally dating!"

"Shut up, we are not!" Gigi playfully hits Harper on the arm.

Alex laughs, and it feels good. "Are you kidding? No freaking way. You've been body-snatched, or whatever Justin says."

Gigi's whole face is red now. "He makes me laugh."

They all laugh at that then as if they have all been friends forever. It is actually really nice. They have calmed down by the time the boys come to the room. Mr. Laritate takes one of the chairs at the table while Max sits on the floor, leaning against the bed. Harper moves to sit next to Zeke on the other bed, and Gigi sits with them. T.J. settles on the floor at Gigi's feet, and Alex smiles before her eyes fall to the door.

She is waiting for a boy, too.

-/-/-

Justin circles around the building, finding a locked door marked Employees Only. It takes him a couple tries, but he manages to kick the door open. Inside is a long, dark corridor. For a moment, he feels like a frightened little boy afraid of what is watching him in the darkness, but that is nonsense because he knows he is alone. The flashlight barely helps, but at least he can see an opening to the right and two openings on the left.

He looks down the right, finding industrial laundry machines. To the left is an alcove holding plenty of boxes of cleaning supplies. The last hall on the left is too dark for him to make out anything more than a door on the opposite side. The door opens to an open space, and Justin sweeps his hand over the side wall until he finds the light switches.

He can't help but smile as he sees the kitchen. It is bright, clean, and there are ovens and stove tops along the left and right walls, while in the middle is an island full of supplies. He takes a few minutes to inspect what proves to be an incredible source of food. The walk-in refrigerator is well stocked, and the shelves along the walls contain enough ingredients that Justin could probably cook anything he wants. He finds a book of recipes for the room service menu, thinking it might be fun to try something new and keep his mind occupied.

After tying an apron around his waist, Justin washes his hands and sets up a large, deep pot for boiling water. He decides to try preparing the chicken pasta on the menu. He gathers the extensive list of herbs and spices before realizing he doesn't have the actual chicken. Scouring the fridge provides him four large frozen chicken breasts that should be plenty enough for eight people and still have leftovers.

Justin cuts the fat from the chicken breast, then he starts making the creamy herb sauce exactly as described by the recipe. When the water boils, he puts the noodles in the pot. Then he fires up the stove to grill the chicken. While he waits for it to warm up, he hears noises back from the hall. He grabs a ladle, then realizes that would be a poor defensive weapon, so he ducks behind the island to hide while his heart pounds in his chest.

"Justin?"

He audibly sighs when he hears his best friend's voice. "Zeke? I'm in here, in the kitchen."

Zeke pops his head around the corner. "Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid of who I would run into."

"What are you doing here?"

"Everyone's in your room, and Alex said you were cooking dinner. Figured I'd help if I can."

"Thanks. You can help me grill the chicken."

In silence, Zeke puts the chicken on the flat stove while Justin brushes the pieces with the creamy sauce. He lets Zeke handle the rest and takes care of the cooked noodles, tossing them into the sauce.

Zeke quietly snorts to himself.

Justin catches him smiling. "What? What is it?"

"It's nothing. Do you remember when I first spent the night at your place a few years ago?"

"When we had that zombie movie marathon? Sure, that was one of the best nights I ever had."

"Remember our plan for surviving the inevitable zombie apocalypse?"

Justin recalls making lists of supplies and an escape plan based on everything they had learned from the various movies. It seems so long ago now.

"I was just thinking if we hadn't done that, we probably wouldn't have been so prepared for the past few months. I mean, really, if you weren't here, we wouldn't have even made it this far. We might not have even made it out of the school."

Justin loads the noodles onto eight plates and doesn't respond. He doesn't like thinking about everything too much, yet it is hard to forget about it all. He knows they've all been lucky so far, but he doesn't believe he has anything to do with it.

Zeke cuts the chicken breasts in half before placing each one atop the noodles. Justin places lids on all of the meals, then puts them on two rolling carts. Justin starts with his, Zeke following.

"I'm serious, Justin," Zeke says from behind him. "We needed someone with their head on right. Thanks."

Justin gives some kind of grunting response because his throat is suddenly tense. He really can't let himself falter.

They make their way out of the kitchen, around the building, to the room where everyone is loudly talking and laughing. The street is utterly silent, so their noise sounds entirely too loud. Opening the door reveals a sight Justin immediately ingrains in his memory.

On the television in the background is a rerun of an old sitcom. The audio has been muted so that T.J. and Max can replace the characters' words with their own. Harper is hysterically laughing, and even Alex and Gigi join in when Mr. Laritate adds a deep Southern drawl to the pretty brunette girl on the television.

It is such a moment of relaxation that Justin can almost believe they are all back before the horrible outbreak. He closes the door, blocking out the darkness and the cold and everything that is wrong in the world to focus on everything that is bright and warm and right. Alex's eyes find his across the room, and she makes no move to get up from her seat on the end of the bed.

Harper helps hand out the plates while Zeke grabs the silverware and napkins. Justin meets Alex on the bed with two plates in hand. They sit in silence while they eat, simply observing everyone have fun. They should enjoy their time like this together. He doesn't know how much longer it will last. There may be tough times ahead of them if they can't figure out what to do from here.

Alex nudges his side with her elbow and quietly says, "You need to lighten up."

He gives her a wry smile. "How can I do that when there's so much at stake right now?"

"It's not all your responsibility, Justin. You can't stop a massive viral outbreak. You can't stress out about what we're going to do next."

"I know, but someone has to consider these things. Someone has to take responsibility for our survival."

"We're not that bad off so far. We can get through it if we stick together. Right?"

"I hope you're right, Alex. But this _is_bad, and things are getting worse every day. If we can't get out of this quarantine, I don't know what will happen to us. All I care about is keeping us safe, and that means thinking about our next move before it's too late. Before this hopeless situation gets any worse and—"

Justin cuts off mid-speech when he sees Max looking at them from his spot on the floor where he's holding his knees to his chest and absently rubbing his knuckles. The rest of the room has gone quiet, and he suddenly feels horrible for ruining the good mood.

"Well, I say we all get to bed early tonight so we can meet here for breakfast and decide where to go." Mr. Laritate stands up and claps Max on the shoulder. One by one, everyone heads into their rooms until Alex and Justin are left alone.

They sit in silence, mostly because Justin can't think of anything to say. He doesn't want to let any of the food go to waste, but he can't stomach anymore. Alex continues watching television while he takes a shower. The water is gloriously hot. He lets it beat down against his shoulders and back, but there is still a chill in his bones he can't deny.

Alex is in her pajamas and under the covers of her bed by the time Justin comes out. The television is off, and she is facing the wall, so he can't tell if she's asleep yet. He tries to be quiet as he dresses in his pajamas, but once in his bed sleep alludes him.

He listens to the rain falling outside the window, thinks about the fact that they are such a small group taking shelter in a hotel, and they might be safe for now, but what about tomorrow? They have no idea where their families are, and the infected are increasing in numbers, and he's just not sure if they can make it out of the quarantine zone. He is torn because he feels like he's not doing enough even though he's trying his best. Like he needs to take care of everyone even though he can't do much of anything. When he feels the hot burning tears well up behind his eyes, he takes a deep breath and tries not to cry.

There is a rustling across the room, and Alex is suddenly at his side, pulling back the blankets.

"What are you—?" His voice cracks, cutting him off.

"Please, Justin." She tucks herself against his body, wrapping her arms around his waist. It takes him a moment, but he relaxes and is able to hold her small frame against him. The thrumming of her magic so close to his, practically reverberating between them, helps him remember what they are trying to survive for.

"Thank you." Her words are so quiet, trapped between her lips and his chest, he almost doesn't hear them.

"For what?"

Alex lifts her head, and Justin pulls away enough to see her. The ambient light through the curtains in the window is barely enough to make out her eyes.

"If you weren't here, I don't know what would happen to us. What would happen to me."

"I'm sure you and everyone else would be able to figure something out."

"No, Justin, I really mean it. You've always been there for me when I need you. I'm glad the others are with us, of course, but without you. . . ."

"It's okay, I understand, Alex."

"I can't lose you." She shivers against him, and he can feel her small fist gather in the back of his shirt. "It's scary. The world might be ending, but all I need is you."

There is something else beneath her words that he can't figure out. She suddenly moves against his body in a way that has him quickly swallowing, and in the dark, she finds his lips with hers. They stay like that a breath longer than they should, but it is enough. When she nuzzles into his neck, Justin stops thinking about the future and how they are going to survive. They have this moment, and for now, it is all that matters.


	7. Infected

**Part 7 – Infected**

Everyone sleeps longer than usual after the hard day, and Justin wakes near noon. He gets up quietly to let Alex keep sleeping, and he dresses in his black cargo pants and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt. He is buckling on his black vest when he hears Alex snort.

"Your monster hunting uniform, really?"

He looks at her over his shoulder. "It's useful."

"Uh huh. I'm just surprised you're not showing off your biceps like usual."

He turns around to face her and puts his hands on his hips. "Are you saying you want me to go shirtless?"

"Ew, no." She laughs.

"Good because it's cold outside." He makes a show of flexing his arms as he goes back to sorting through his equipment. He has always loved her laugh.

"Hey, Justin?" she calls after a moment.

"Hm?"

"I want to be here for you, too. You can rely on me."

He briefly looks at her before he smiles. "I know."

-/-/-

After everyone is ready and awake, they gather in Justin and Alex's room again. While the girls take their turns in the kitchen to cook the first meal of the day, Justin spreads out the map across the small table in the corner of the room so they can start making plans.

"If the evacuation sites have been shut down, how do we get out of the quarantine zone?" Zeke asks.

"Just because they're shut down doesn't mean we can't get out that way." T.J. points to the Brooklyn Bridge, the nearest site. "The only question is what we do when we get there."

"If there's another military barricade, will they open fire on us like before? Or will anyone even be there? I mean, the Brooklyn Bridge takes us into the quarantine zone across the East River. Maybe it won't be heavily guarded."

"What about taking a ferry or a boat across the river?" Justin suggests. "We could make it to Jersey quicker that way."

"Yeah, right." T.J. crosses his arms over his chest. "The docks have been locked since the quarantine barrier was put up. And none of us know how to drive a boat."

"Taking the bridge to the 278 may cost us more time, but it might be safer considering the outbreak hasn't spread across the river yet," says Mr. Laritate. "I just wish we knew where the safe zones are and where the evacuees were taken. We'd have a general direction to travel in."

Justin looks at the tired, worried faces of the men around him, and never before has he so badly wanted to simply wave his wand and disappear everyone into safety. He studies the useless map, hoping something pops out at him. That is when he sees City Hall a block away from the Brooklyn Bridge.

"That's it," he says, gaining their attention. "We'll go to City Hall. They must have a copy of the evacuation plans with a list of the people evacuated and the safe zones they were taken to. They probably have all the information we need."

"Genius." Mr. Laritate smiles. "But how do we get in? Unless the information is at the front desk, they won't—"

"This area has already been evacuated. City Hall was probably one of the first to go, so I doubt anyone is even there."

"VIPs to the front of the line. Never mind all the school kids left behind." T.J. glowers at the map, then points at a building a few blocks from both City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge. "What about the Police Headquarters?"

"What about it?"

"Gigi said her father was taken into custody for trying to bribe his way out of the quarantine zone, right?"

It takes Justin a moment to understand what T.J. means. ". . .You want to find out what happened to her dad? He's probably on the list at City Hall."

"But what if he isn't? What if the prisons haven't even been evacuated because the bigwigs running this operation don't give a damn about those people?"

Justin's jaw clenches as he stares at T.J. "Then we'll find out at City Hall."

"Well, I don't like that idea."

"I don't care if you like it. You're putting one person ahead of the group when all we should be thinking about is getting out of here safely."

"Really? Who made you leader of us, anyway?" T.J. jabs his finger into Justin's chest.

He smacks T.J.'s hand away. "Well, everyone seemed so damned thankful I was here yesterday. If you don't want me putting plans together, then be my guest and come up with something better!"

T.J. takes a step back, and Justin crosses his arms. Their stare-down ends when the girls come in with breakfast.

"What's with the tense atmosphere in here?" Alex asks, tactful as always.

"Nothing. Justin apparently thinks we've elected him as the leader or something."

Justin turns his back and places his fist against his mouth. Alex comes around to regard him with raised brows.

"Fine," he bites out over his shoulder. "Fine, we'll split up."

"Fine. Gigi and I will go to the Police Headquarters for information."

"If that's the case, I'll uh, go with you for supervision," Mr. Laritate says, still acting as the principal even though there is no school around him.

"When you don't find what you're looking for, we'll meet up at City Hall Park," Justin says. No one replies to his caustic tone.

"Then let's eat up," Harper says, trying to keep their spirits up.

"Pancakes for lunch?" Max says. "Awesome."

Justin doesn't feel good about letting three of them go off alone, even if they will only be a few blocks away. This isn't what he planned. It isn't a good idea, and he feels sick. He can barely stomach the pancakes that are, to the girls' credit, only a little burned, so he watches the group eat.

"What if I go with them?" Zeke offers out of the blue.

"Zeke, no!" Harper nearly drops her plate when she bolts out of the chair.

"What if they need some tech help? Just in case?"

Justin realizes this is one of the braver things Zeke has done, so he just nods. It's decided, and he can't change their minds.

"Don't look so miserable," Alex says. "I bet we'll only be separated for an hour or something."

"I don't care."

"Justin."

"As long as our family is okay, I don't care what T.J. and the others do."

"That doesn't sound like the brother I know."

"Yeah, well, I can't be like I was if we want to survive."

Alex doesn't say anything else, and they finish their breakfast. Everyone goes back to their rooms before meeting in the parking lot with their bags. Justin gives Zeke one of the walkie-talkie transceivers so they can keep in touch while they are separated. Justin clips the other one to his belt.

No one says goodbye in case they somehow jinx themselves. In her car, Gigi drives T.J., Zeke, and Mr. Laritate to the Police Headquarters. Justin with Alex beside him and Max and Harper in the backseat follow their car until they turn off a side street. The roads are abandoned with no one in sight. It is like driving through a ghost town.

With no traffic, they reach their destination more quickly than expected. Justin stops the car at the curb right in front of City Hall. The steps leading up to the front entrance are wide and open, and even though they cannot see anyone around, they quickly and quietly climb up. Justin pulls on the door to find it open.

"Are you kidding me? They left City Hall unlocked?" Alex snorts to herself.

They walk into the lobby, and Harper starts looking around the front desk. Before Justin can say anything, Max heads off on his own, down the hall to the right.

"Leave him, he'll be fine," Alex says.

"This is Max."

She shakes her head. "He's smarter than we give him credit for. It's mostly an act for attention."

Justin raises a brow, but realizes she is right. He takes a deep breath and makes his way into one of the offices down the left corridor. He sits down at the computer and starts it up. Alex watches him do something to bypass the passwords, then starts scanning the office.

There are still photographs of a fairly handsome middle-aged man with his pretty wife and two cute daughters on the desk and the walls. She thinks it's sad for these pictures to be left in an empty room, but then she remembers that her family left nearly everything behind.

"I wish I would have grabbed one of our stupid family pictures," she says.

Justin glances at her. "One of the photo albums in the closet was gone, so Mom must have taken it. I packed the other one."

Of course he did. He always considers special things like that. While Justin starts clicking away at the computer, Alex inspects the file cabinets. The drawers are locked, so she takes a couple paper clips to pick them open.

Justin stops typing, and she looks over her shoulder with a smile. "What? You're not the only one with breaking and entering skills."

"Should I be worried?"

"It's not like I've done anything illegal. Much."

He finds himself laughing despite himself before concentrating on searching through the computer. Alex opens the first drawer, flipping across the tops of the folders. She pulls out a huge file and opens it to find pages about the red death, full of scientific mumbo jumbo information she doesn't understand. Underneath that are lists of cities across the country, lists of people. She sees phrases like quarantine zone, evacuation, and safe zone.

"Justin, I think I found it." She places the open folder on the desk in front of him. Before he can respond, a voice comes over the walkie-talkie radio on his belt.

"This is Zeke Beakerman for Justin Russo. Zeke for Justin."

Alex laughs. "How many Justins does he think are on the radio?"

He stifles his laughter as he picks up the radio to respond. "Justin here. What's up, Zeke?"

"Hey, we made it into the headquarters without incident."

"Great. Find anything yet?"

"There are some papers here about prison transfers throughout the districts in the quarantine zone. I don't see Gigi's father on the list."

"What does that mean?"

For a moment, there's no response, then Mr. Laritate comes through the line. "The upper floors are empty. If Gigi's father isn't on the list, couldn't that mean he was released before the time of the transfers?"

Justin hesitates before pressing down the button to respond. "Maybe. Gigi, if your father was taken into custody, there should be some record in the computers. He was most likely taken to the first precinct a few miles from Waverly Place. He had to be processed, so just look a little harder. In the mean time, I'll cross reference our list here."

Gigi's voice is faint and distant. "Okay, thank you."

Justin puts the radio back on his belt. When he starts looking through the papers in front of him, Alex snatches them out of his hands.

"Alex—"

"You don't sound very confident. Why not?"

"Don't start this. I don't know everything about police procedure.'

"Yeah, but there's more than that. Tell me."

Justin turns around and leans against the window to look out over the vacant street. "I wish we knew where the evacuees were taken. Even if we find out Gigi's father was released in time for the evacuation, we still don't know which evacuees were taken to which safe zones. There has to be somewhere we can get that information."

"It has to be here, Justin. This office has every piece of information about the virus and the quarantine zone since the beginning. You check the computers more, and I'll look around the rest of the building."

"All right. Be careful."

When Alex leaves, Justin resumes his search. He finds nothing useful, making him want to smash the damned computer into pieces. He must be missing something. There has to be more information about the evacuees. He turns back to the papers, reading every word. He's so engrossed, he barely notices when his radio pops and groans, static coming through the line until a desperate voice echoes around him.

"Oh god, we're being attacked!"

Justin almost falls out of the chair in trying to get to the radio. "Zeke? What's going on?"

"God, oh god. Justin, the infected got in. Mr. Laritate, he—"

"Zeke? Zeke?"

His friend's transmission cuts out. It sounds like he's breathing heavily. "We barred the door, but I don't know ho— it will hold. Mr. Laritate is hurt pretty bad. I don't know if we — get out of here, Justin."

"Don't panic," he says, more for himself so he can think clearly. "There has to be more than one way out of the building. Look for another door."

"I don't see any—" Zeke is interrupted by a loud crash, then it sounds like Gigi screams before they all cut out again.

Justin leaves his stomach somewhere in the office as he runs out into the lobby. "Alex, Max, Harper! We have to go!"

Harper pops up from behind the front desk. "Why, what's up?"

"Just get the others and meet me at the car!" He crashes through the front doors, running down the steps as he juggles the stack of papers in his arms and the radio that has gone silent. "Zeke, are you there? Talk to me, buddy. Anyone? T.J.? Gigi? Please, someone answer me."

He releases the button and lets his forehead _thunk_against the roof of the car. "Damn it." He can feel the tension straining at the back of his neck, behind his eyes. He can't allow himself to cry if he doesn't even know what's happening yet.

"Justin!" He faces Alex, sees her eyebrows pulled up in concern. Then without a word she slips her hand into his front pocket to pull out the car keys. She unlocks the driver door then takes the files and folders from his arms as she heads around to the passenger side where Harper and Max climb into the backseat.

His hands tremble as he tries to buckle his seat belt, and with a frustrated growl, he lets it go and starts the car. He disobeys all traffic laws in his haste to return to their friends.

"—an you hear me? Justin Russo?" Gigi's frightened, faltering voice comes across the radio, and before Justin can even respond, Alex has the receiver in her hands.

"Gigi, it's Alex. Where are you?"

"Oh, thank god. We're heading to the park like we planned, but Mr. Laritate and T.J. are hurt." She stops and makes some kind of choking sound. "We barely made it out."

"How bad are they?" Justin asks as he makes a U-turn in the empty street.

Alex repeats the question and adds, "What the hell happened?"

There is no answer for a moment, but then Gigi says, "In a few minutes."

Alex puts the receiver back on the console between them, and Justin lets out a relieved sigh. His heart won't stop pounding, but at least he knows they are all safe for now. In the rear view mirror, Justin can see Harper crying as she leans against Max's shoulder.

"Harper, are you okay?" he asks.

She sniffs and wipes her eyes. "I feel bad, but I'm so relieved Zeke isn't hurt. I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not, Harper," Alex says with a sharp edge to her tone.

Harper stops crying after that.

Justin pulls up to the street along the West side of the park, and they wait for their friends. The silence is killing him, so he gets out of the car and heads for the nearest bench along the sidewalk. He hears another car door open and close, but he doesn't bother turning around because he already knows who is following him. By the time Justin takes a seat, Alex is right beside him.

"This is my fault," he says.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Alex actually sounds outraged.

He leans forward onto his knees so she can't see his face. "I knew it was a bad idea to split up. Stupid. Dangerous. But I let T.J. talk me into it out of some misguided affection he has for Gigi. I wanted to just take extra time to explore both locations, but we didn't, and they were attacked by people infected with the virus."

"That doesn't make it your fault, Justin. You couldn't have known what would happen if we did split up. Maybe we would have been attacked if we were all together. We don't know, so stop blaming yourself."

He can't help it. He covers his face with his hands as he finally lets himself cry.

"Oh, Justin. Don't do that." Alex's small hand rubs his back in soothing circles the way their mother used to when they were children. "It's really not your fault, Justin."

"I just—" His throat is clenched so tight, he can barely form the words. "This is too much."

"I know," she says after a moment. Her voice sounds raw, prompting him to sit back up and face her. "Justin, you've gotten us all so far. But if you're not strong, how can I be strong? How can any of us be strong without you? We need you, so don't give up on us. Don't give up."

Her eyes are shining with tears, so Justin envelops her in a hug. "I won't. I'm right here. I'll be strong if you're by my side, Alex."

They remain in each others arms until they hear the screeching of tires from down the street. Gigi's car races toward them, coming to a stop right behind the Russo's car. Zeke tumbles out of the driver's side and runs around the car to help Mr. Laritate out of the passenger seat. Gigi slowly helps T.J. climb out of the backseat.

The first thing Justin really notices is all the blood staining their clothes, and his stomach drops. The four people steadily limp into the flat cement area around the fountain that no longer works.

He swallows and faces his sister. "Alex, in the trunk of the car there are bags with medical kits and blankets."

She nods and heads off without another word. He goes to check out his friends' injuries. Mr. Laritate has a bloody shirt wrapped around his left forearm, the back of his shirt is torn and bloody, and he's limping on his left ankle. T.J. is in a slightly worse state. His shirt is soaked with blood, and he's trying to hold two pieces of clothing to the right side of his neck and the left side of his stomach. He's leaning most of his weight on Gigi, and the two of them collapse to the ground.

Alex runs up with a blanket and various bags on her shoulders. Justin lays down the blanket on the hard ground and waits while Mr. Laritate and T.J. get as comfortable as possible. He makes the best of this non-sterile environment and works quickly. He puts on a pair of clean latex gloves and looks over his equipment.

"Take care of T.J. first," Mr. Laritate says, no room for argument in his tone.

"Right."

Justin uses his army knife to cut off T.J.'s shirt, and he gently peels away the fabric from the open wounds. Alex gasps behind him, and he tries to not let that get to him. He has to think like a doctor. It looks like something took a bite out of the trapezius muscle right between his neck and shoulder and in his abdomen. God, he doesn't have anything for this kind of trauma.

"I can't close open wounds like this, especially if they might be—" He leaves out _infected_. "I can only clean the wound. I need boiled water, and there should be a bar of antibiotic soap in one of the bags."

He hears motion around him, but he doesn't care who's following his instructions. His mind is barely functioning. He can't believe a human could have made such vicious wounds. He moves to Mr. Laritate to inspect his forearm. The bite is not terribly deep, but there's definitely a circular pattern of teeth marks broken into the skin. Mr. Laritate's back is full of deep scratch marks that should be easy to take care of, though.

Before he does anything, he makes T.J. and Mr. Laritate each take a couple pills for the pain.

"I'm sorry," he says. "That's the best I can do right now."

"It's okay." Mr. Laritate tries to smile, but it comes out more as a grimace.

Zeke has taken out a small camping stove and a pot of water. Harper brings over a bundle of sticks gathered from around the nearby trees. Zeke uses a match to light the fire and fills the pot with water from the bed of the fountain.

"I didn't want to use our drinking water," he says as explanation.

"Good thinking," Justin agrees.

They need to wait for the water to boil, so Alex takes it upon herself to fill the silence.

"What happened to you guys?" she asks. "I thought the headquarters was clear."

"So did we," Mr. Laritate says. "Those people seemed to come out of nowhere. I didn't even know they were infected until they were on us, and it was like wolves that found the sheep pen."

"They were so fast. So strong. And just snarling and foaming at the mouth. Like savage animals." T.J. shudders and groans in pain.

"The water's boiling," Zeke announces.

Justin takes a clean cloth and dips it in the hot water, then starts wiping off the areas around T.J.'s wounds. Then he washes the wounds with the soap and water as best he can.

"Are you all right, T.J.?"

The redhead is trembling and squeezing the life out of Gigi's hand. "Sure. But could you do me a favor and just kill me now?" He lets out a strangled laugh.

Justin smiles. "Sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to survive this."

The weight of his words settles around them, and he realizes his mistake too late. He swallows. He doesn't have a syringe for proper irrigation of the wounds, but he does have a bottle of saline. It's easier for him that there's no real debris in the wounds. His last action is to pack the wounds with saline dampened gauze before adding a dry dressing and taping it secure.

"Hey," T.J. says. "I'm sorry I was so stubborn. I guess I should have listened to you."

Justin nods. There's no point in saying anything else. It won't change what happened.

He puts on a new pair of gloves then moves on to wash and irrigate Mr. Laritate's forearm. After packing and securing the wound, he cleans the scratches on Mr. Laritate's back and spreads on an antibiotic ointment because he doesn't have anything else to protect him.

The worse of it is over, so Justin takes a breather while he looks at Mr. Laritate's red and swollen ankle. "I think it's just a sprain, but I can't be sure. You'll still need something to help you walk. I can make some kind of splint to—"

"Don't worry about it, Justin. You've done enough. Thanks to you I'll be fine now."

"But, Mr. Laritate—"

"Please. I'm fine."

Justin relents and cleans up the mess around them. There is no bio-hazard waste disposal, so he settles for one of the park trash receptacles.

"Great job taking care of them," Zeke says. "Should we move indoors?"

Justin looks around them in the light of the setting sun. The most recent storm has passed, but the air is still chilly. "Probably. But I don't think we can move them right now. They need to just rest."

He can see the apprehension in his friend's face.

"I'm sorry," he says. "We don't have a lot of options right now."

"Then I'll start on some food for us."

"Good idea, thanks."

Mr. Laritate and T.J. are helped into fresh shirts while Zeke and Max start cooking some of the canned foods from the bags. Alex lays down more blankets around the small camping stove. He watches everyone, and for a moment, Justin can imagine that they are all just camping for fun. The image doesn't last for long.

Alex eventually moves to sit beside Justin on the fountain rim. "Why don't you come sit with us?"

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not, but whatever." Alex props her feet out in front of her, stretched out alongside his. "You really surprised me. I didn't know you could do that."

"Do what?"

"Take care of Mr. Laritate and T.J. Where'd you learn that?"

Justin laughs a little. "You know, there's more to reading than articles in tabloid magazines."

"Psh. I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." She chuckles and leans back, placing her hands on the stone beneath them. When her hand lands on his, neither of them move or say another word.

-/-/-

Gigi approaches Justin and Alex, rubbing one of her arms almost bashfully as she stands in front of them. "Thank you, Justin. You're more reliable than I thought."

Alex and Justin exchange amused glances.

"Uh, thanks," he says.

"Are- Are they going to be okay? I mean, T.J. was hurt because of me. He protected me, and I—"

"I don't know," he cuts her off. "Their wounds are clean, and that's the best I can do. Now it comes down to the spreading of the virus."

He hates to say it out loud, especially when Gigi pales even more. She looks over her shoulder where Mr. Laritate and T.J. seem to be doing well despite the pain they must be in.

"So. . .they might be infected." She says it quietly, as if voicing it might make it come true.

Justin doesn't answer because his only response wouldn't make anyone feel better.

"Anyway, there are beans and meat warmed up if you're hungry." Gigi leaves to sit with the group again, and Justin sighs.

"I'm glad Mom and Dad aren't here," Alex says out of the blue.

He rests his cheek on his interlaced fingers as he looks at her. "Why?"

"So they don't have to go through this."

"Mmm."

"I wish Max wasn't here either. Or anyone else."

He frowns at her. "What does that mean?"

She shrugs. "They don't deserve this."

"And we do?"

"No. I'm just saying. It would be easier if it was just us."

"Maybe."

Alex wraps her arms around her middle. "Do you really think we're going to get out of here now?"

"We're going to try our best." Nothing else will be enough. Nothing else lends hope for survival.

Below the sounds of his friends and the wind, Justin hears the crunching of leaves from behind them. He is on his feet in an instant, scouring the line of trees across from the fountain.

"What is it?" Alex is up and standing behind him.

"Do you hear that? Stay here."

He walks around the fountain, and he finally sees four shapes approaching in the trees. His heart is in overdrive. He can't make it to the car for the gun before whoever it is reaches their camp.

"Stop! Who's there?" he yells.

"Hold it, son. We're not infected," a man says.

Justin steps closer until he can make out their features as they come out of the trees. The man is around Jerry's age with short cut grey hair and a muscular build. The woman at his side is tall and thin, and the two young boys behind them resemble her.

"What do you want?"

"We heard you over the radio. It sounded like there were a lot of you, and I thought it might be safer for my family if we met up with other people."

There are so many questions and thoughts running through his mind, but he's mostly flooded with relief that they're not infected. He looks over at his friends around the fire. He needs to be honest.

"Sorry, but two of ours are probably infected. You don't want to stay here."

"But you have food?" the woman says. "And a fire. Won't you share with us?"

"The virus isn't airborne, right? Please," the man pleads.

Alex puts a hand on his shoulder. He looks at her. He can't let anything happen to her or the others again. But he has already decided to keep watch during the night, so really he figures it might be all right.

"Fine. A few more people couldn't hurt. I have extra blankets."

"Thank you. You're very kind."

Justin watches them walk by, into the circle around the fire.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Alex asks.

"No." He watches his friends welcome the strangers without hesitation. He rubs his face. "Will you bring me the papers about the virus?"

Alex nods and walks away. Justin walks up the grassy hill where he can see his group and into the streets beyond the park. The trees are too dark to really see anyone coming from behind them, but at least he should be able to hear them, if the strangers are any proof. He sits down in front of a tree and watches Alex return from the car and stop when Harper tells her something.

She comes back with the various folders and sits beside him.

"What are you doing? You should go eat," he says.

"I'm okay. Do you want to know their names?"

"No. I just want to figure out what to do next. We never made a decision about going over the bridge or taking a boat."

"Maybe you should decide for us. Harper says Mr. Laritate is running a pretty high fever."

"T.J.?"

"Tired but all right so far. Do you think they are infected?"

"It would be dangerous to think otherwise. The rate at which the virus spreads through contact. . .If someone is bitten like that, I don't think there is anything to stop it."

She leans her head against his shoulder as they watch the others laugh and try to be happy after everything that happened. Even the strangers join in as they talk about their lives before the outbreak.

"How long do you think they have?" she whispers.

Justin can't swallow, and he can't even speak for a moment. He clears his throat. "I don't know. The incubation period is different for every person. The one thing these papers agree on is that the incubation period has been getting shorter as time goes on. We just have to watch out for the symptoms. We should be able to tell that way."

Alex doesn't say anything else. Justin tries not to think any more. Because if he thinks about the fact that it is Mr. Laritate and T.J. who are infected and not some faceless person, he might break down. That is the last thing they need. For now, Alex is warm beside Justin, and they can imagine something beyond this hopeless situation.


	8. Sacrifice

**Part 8 – Sacrifice**

An eerie cry breaks out in the first morning light. Justin jolts awake, and for a moment he doesn't know where he is. Then he feels Alex squirming at his side as another monstrous bellow reaches his ears. It doesn't sound far away.

"Oh, god. Alex, get up. Wake up!" He pulls her to her feet and starts dragging her to the circle of their friends who are just starting to awaken. "You guys, _get up_! We need to move!"

The grogginess hasn't left him as he stumbles down the grassy hill to the cement area in front of the fountain. They start packing their belongings as quickly as possible while T.J. and Mr. Laritate try to get to their feet.

"My car!" Gigi's panicked voice rises an octave. "Where's my car?"

In one sweep of his eyes, Justin sees the strangers are gone and a hot fury overcomes him. "Those bastards took the car."

"What do we do now? We won't all fit in one car." Alex grabs his arm when another beastly cry hovers in the air.

"We have to get out of the open," Mr. Laritate says as Zeke helps support him on his feet. His face is pale and gaunt, his eyes are red, and he is sweating profusely.

T.J., on the other hand, looks only a bit fatigued with dark circles under his eyes. Something is wrong here, but Justin doesn't have time to figure it out.

"Should we go back to City Hall? Justin!" Alex tugs on his arm. "Come on, what should we do?"

Justin looks around. City Hall is across the park, but south of them is another street with more buildings. There's really only one viable option.

"We should stay near the bridge entrance. Take whatever you can carry, leave the rest. Let's go!"

Harper and Alex lead the way across the short distance to the next street. Gigi lends support to T.J. while Zeke and Max aid Mr. Laritate in hobbling after them. Justin races to the car to grab the gun, their only means of protection, before he catches up with them. He watches from the rear, wishing he knew which direction the infected were coming from. That's when Harper lets out a terrified shriek, and Justin sees what she's pointing at. A group of people coming around the corner of the street. He can't tell if they're infected until one of them screams like a crazed animal.

"Go, go!" They run as fast as they can with two injured people who can barely even stand on their own. Justin checks over his shoulder, and his heart pounds faster to see the infected gaining ground between them.

He slows to a stop and puts the clip into the rifle and loads it. He fires a warning shot in their direction, hoping it would scare them away. The unexpected recoil almost sends him down on already trembling legs. He stumbles in the street, but manages to only skin his palm before righting himself.

They make their way to the nearest building, up the front steps of an apartment complex. There are two sets of doors, and Justin locks both of them as they head into the front corridor, into an office on the left. He locks that door behind them just for good measure.

There is a loud slam that rocks the building. Justin peers out of the office window to see infected people snarling and clawing at the doors, leaving bloody smears on the glass.

"The doors are holding for now," he says to the room. "But we can't stay here or we'll be trapped."

"Can't we just shoot our way out?" T.J. asks.

"Not with you and Mr. Laritate injured."

"I don't feel too bad."

"Doesn't matter. We can't risk it."

"Then what do we do now?" Max asks.

Justin looks at them, all out of breath around the room. They all have the same frightened expression, and he's sure he looks the same. But they are also looking to him for an answer, and he doesn't have one.

"Let's just try to wait them out. They'll probably move on when they get tired."

Everyone tries to relax, but it's difficult when they can still hear the infected outside. Zeke hands out food packages for energy, and they try to forget their worries for as long as possible. After they eat, Justin sets to changing the dressings on T.J. and Mr. Laritate's wounds.

He is surprised to see that T.J.'s neck and stomach are doing fairly well, considering he hasn't had proper medical care. But the bite on Mr. Laritate's arm is festering and foul smelling already. He cleans it up, trying not to look Mr. Laritate in the eyes. Due to the unnecessary stress, his ankle is swollen to twice the size it should be. Justin almost curses for being so stupid as to not even wrap his ankle the previous night. He does that now, being careful to apply just the right amount of pressure.

"This will help with the swelling," is all he can say.

He gives Mr. Laritate and T.J. more pain killers. Then he sits back against the wall and closes his eyes, trying to sort through his thoughts. There has to be something they can do. When they get out of the building, they can't make it to the bridge or the docks on foot. Not when there are obviously so many infected in the area. He looks at his friends and wishes he knew what to do.

-/-/-

The pounding in his eyes makes Justin realize he fell asleep. He looks around the dark room to see Mr. Laritate is asleep, Zeke and Harper are quietly talking together, and the others have started a game of cards by flashlight. Max is simultaneously holding T.J.'s cards and trying to keep Alex from cheating. He could almost laugh.

"Hey," Alex says when she realizes he's awake. She sets down her cards and scoots across the tile floor to sit beside him beneath the window.

"The lights are out," she says.

No wonder it is so dark in this room when he is sure the sun must be overhead by now. But really, he is more focused on what that means.

"The power grid is down," he says.

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't."

"How—"

He can't hear the rest of her sentence under the sound of shattering glass. Justin bolts to his feet to look out the office window. One of the infected people impaled himself against the broken glass window in the front door, and the five others are climbing their way through. There's only one more set of doors to keep the infected out. They need a new plan.

"There has to be a back entrance we can use," he says loud enough for the room to hear, although he already has their attention. "I'm going to look for it."

"No!" Alex takes hold of his arm. "What if they break through the other door while you're out there?"

"What do you want me to do? We're stuck in here otherwise. Just let me go."

"No," she drags out the word in a long whine, looking to everyone else for help.

The window behind Justin rattles, and he can see the infected throwing themselves against the second set of double doors. Looks like he's losing his chance.

"What about this window?" Zeke asks. He points above the desk to a medium sized window that opens up to the alley between the buildings.

Max climbs onto the desk and opens the window all the way. "There should be enough room to get out this way."

"Not for me," says Mr. Laritate, who rubs his eyes until he is awake. His hands shake as he tries to put on his glasses.

Then suddenly Justin knows what to do.

"How about this," he says. "I'll take Mr. Laritate out now to find the back door. It should open up to the alley. You guys will stay in here with the door locked, just in case. You can climb out the window and meet us in the back."

"That's as good a plan as any." Justin helps Mr. Laritate stand up.

"Then why don't we just go out the back together?" Alex asks.

He regards the rest of the room, but the fear in her voice makes him take her aside.

"Alex, if we go into the hall, it's likely the infected will try even harder to get through those doors. We won't all be able to get away safely if they manage that. It's easier and safer this way. Trust me."

"But, Justin—"

"Please, don't argue with me. Just make sure everyone gets out of this room safely, okay? I need you to do that for me. Can you?"

She bites her lips and nods.

"Okay, let's get ready. You guys take the bags, and if you run into trouble, don't look back. Just keep running to safety. Head East if you can, but as soon as you're clear, you need to take safety again."

"Which way is East?" Max asks.

"What time is it?"

Zeke checks his watch. "Nearly two."

Later than he expected. He must have been exhausted to sleep so long. "At this point, just head opposite of the sun, I guess. Let's get moving."

Justin stays while Max climbs out the window first. He and Zeke help T.J. out as gingerly as possible. Then the girls go. Alex looks over her shoulder at him before Zeke pushes her through the window.

Justin smiles at his friend. "See you on the other side."

Mr. Laritate leans on Justin as he hobbles out the office door. The infected not twenty feet away bangs her head against the front door and lets out a terrifying screaming growl until a spray of blood blocks out the window. Justin tries not to think about it as he takes Mr. Laritate down the hall one step at a time. The noise behind them gets louder until he's afraid they might not make it before the infected break through the glass again.

"Justin, I can't—" Mr. Laritate goes down on his injured leg and immediately starts coughing. The fit doesn't stop until he's coughing up a trail of blood down his chin.

"Shit." Justin eases him onto the floor. He sees something strange from beneath the collar of Mr. Laritate's shirt. He peels it back and nearly curses again at the sight of red pustules raised along the skin of his neck. The boils seem to disappear down his back and left arm.

"How long do I have?" Mr. Laritate chokes out, wiping off his chin with the back of his good hand.

"What?" Justin's thoughts are racing, and he can't slow down the noise, the rushing in his head, everything.

"I don't want. . .to be like them."

"You won't." He can hardly say the words as panic creeps up his neck.

"Go without me, Justin. Leave me here."

"I can't do that, Mr. Laritate. You know that."

"No, I'll. . .only slow you down. And in what — a matter of hours — I'll be like them. I don't want the others. . .to see me like this. I haven't been able to do as much as I should have to take care of you kids. Let me do this. That's all I ask."

"_No_, _no_," Justin starts chanting.

Mr. Laritate pats Justin's arm. "I know. . .you can take care. . .of the others." He breaks down into another coughing fit, and he pushes Justin away. "Go before it's too late."

Justin's throat burns and his vision blurs. "I can't. Please, no."

"You know what you have to do."

The glass in the door behind them cracks as one of the infected hits it with her head again. She falls to the floor, but another one takes her place. The last barrier is ready to give, and Justin has to make a choice. He can already feel the hot tears on his cheeks as he heaves a shuddering breath and hands Mr. Laritate the rifle.

"Try to put a few of them out of their misery," he says with the best smile he can muster.

"Hey, you're. . .talking to the best. . .shot in Waverly Place." Mr. Laritate tries to laugh, but it comes out too wet with blood. "I won't let them. . .take me alive. Heh."

Justin trembles as he presses his lips to Mr. Laritate's forehead. "Thank you for everything."

"God speed, Justin."

The window in the door finally breaks, and Justin scrambles to his feet. He is down the hall and around the corner when the first shot rings out. Then another. And another. He reaches the back door when there is an angry, monstrous cry. One final shot.

Justin escapes into the daylight. He only makes it a few feet before he is swallowed by his sorrow, and he falls to the ground, sobbing.

"Justin! Justin, what happened?"

Alex's voice reaches him through the haze. She picks him up, and they start running down the alley. The others are up ahead at the corner of the main street, and they keep going once the Russos are in sight.

"Justin, where do we go? Please, Justin, we need you."

They follow the sidewalk, sticking close to the buildings. Justin wipes at his eyes until he can see someplace promising.

"There! That church!"

The front doors to _Our Blessed Mother_are luckily open, and the chapel is empty. Zeke locks the doors behind them, and everyone collapses into the pews. Justin doubles over and vomits. There isn't much in his stomach, so soon he's only dry heaving and choking on his tears.

"What the hell happened? Where's Mr. Laritate?" Gigi demands.

"He's obviously not here!" Alex snaps, already crying. "So just shut up!"

"Oh god." Harper starts wailing, and in an instant all of them are inconsolable messes.

Justin has to get out of there, so he checks along the back of the church, making sure all the doors are securely locked. It doesn't make him feel any better. He explodes at the rows of candles in front of a porcelain statue, sending them crashing to the floor.

"Calm down. Justin, you have to calm down." Alex is at his side, but he can't stand her touch right now. He can't make sense of anything.

He leans against the wall and ends up on the carpeted floor. Alex pushes her way between him and the statue, and there's nowhere for him to go but in her arms. They both cry out their tears at the feet of a saint.

-/-/-

Eventually, there's nothing left but a cold, numb sense of emptiness.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Even whispering, Justin's voice sounds irreverently loud. "But he knew he wouldn't make it. He gave us a better chance to survive."

"So brave." Alex leans her head against his, and they hold each other a while longer.

When he sees Harper walking around the church, lighting candles, Justin realizes they can't sit and cry forever. They have to take action now, or they may never get out of the quarantine. It is the only thing he can do that will make any of this at all justified.

So he gets up, and Alex follows him to the rest of the group. Everyone is silent and red-eyed.

"I have an idea," he says. "I'm going to set up the shortwave receiver to broadcast a message. Maybe someone will hear us and be able to help us get out."

Zeke searches through one of the bags until he pulls out the portable receiver. "We'll need to go up to the roof for a good connection."

"Yeah."

It is all easier to handle when there's something to do. Justin and Zeke go up to the roof to set up the radio. It takes a few minutes, but it's finally stable enough for Justin to record a message.

"If anyone is out there listening to this message, my name is Justin Russo. We are eight people—" He falters, but doesn't correct himself. He doesn't know their exact coordinates either. "We are in lower Manhattan in the New York quarantine zone. The infection is spreading even more, and if— Please, if anyone hears this. We need your help."

He sets the message to broadcast every thirty minutes, hoping it will reach someone before the next storm rolls in. There are dark clouds blocking out the setting sun, and it won't be long before that storm makes everything harder.

When Justin and Zeke come down from the roof, Harper is distributing food packages to the group. Justin sits in the stairwell so they don't miss any response to their call. Alex brings food and the papers about the virus and sits with him.

"I thought you could take your mind off. . .Well, here."

"Thanks."

She eats her food slowly while he looks through the papers. He reads something about the unknown origin of the red death, and it finally clicks in his mind.

"The virus isn't affecting T.J. like it should be."

"He's not getting sick," she says.

"Exactly. You know why?"

She shrugs.

"What separates T.J. from Mr. Laritate— and the rest of the infected humans?"

Alex looks over toward T.J. in realization. "He's a wizard. But what does that mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure. The virus originated in the Wizard World, but mortals wouldn't know that. They have no way of fighting off the virus no matter what they try."

"But the virus has killed wizards and other magical creatures."

"Yes, and when the virus was brought into the mortal world, the mortals died even faster. The virus was feeding on magic, but eventually there were only mortals left. In order to survive, the virus mutated just like the scientists said. Only looking at T.J., I'd say the virus can no longer feed on magic."

"Does that mean T.J. is safe?"

"I don't really know. I think the magic in his blood is fighting off the virus. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Alex doesn't say anything else, knowing Justin only needs to talk about it. She doesn't have any valuable input.

Zeke comes over. "Are you guys talking about the virus?"

"Yeah." Justin reads through the papers again, focusing on the medical reports. "It started off killing everyone infected. But the symptoms of the infected started changing. In order to survive, the virus stopped killing the hosts, and instead turned them into raving monsters."

"How does that even happen? I thought that kind of stuff only happens in movies," Alex says.

"A mutating virus," Zeke says. "It must be attacking the front cortex of the brain, the part that makes us human."

"Degrades it until the people behave like animals," Justin agrees. "It makes sense."

"Okay, but the infected still die?"

"Most likely. The human body can't sustain the virus forever. But who knows how long it takes. No one sticks around long enough to find out, I'm sure. But this is good."

"What's good?"

"T.J. is infected with the virus, but he's not sick. That means he has the necessary antibodies to fight off the virus. He's probably the only key to finding a cure. We have to get him out of here to the CDC."

"Who would have thought someone in our group would be the cure. I guess we're lucky." Zeke shakes his head and wanders off to join Harper again.

"Lucky." Justin rips open his food package with more force than necessary.

"Screw lucky," Alex says.

-/-/-

Justin jolts awake at the sound of his name, though he doesn't remember falling asleep after eating.

"Justin, Justin! I think someone's answering our call!" Max shouts from the stairs.

He is up and running before he's fully awake. He races up to the roof, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to pick up the receiver.

"Hello? Hello?"

The responding voice is slightly garbled by the increasing wind, but he can make out the words. "Hello, this is Jason Todd. I received your message. You are still in the quarantine zone?"

Justin's hand trembles as he presses the button. "Yes. We're in lower Manhattan near the Brooklyn Bridge. We missed the evacuation, and we've been trying to get out of here."

"And what's your situation? Are there infected in the area?"

"Yes."

"But all of you are clean?"

Justin hesitates. He can't lose this opportunity. "Yes, we're all clean."

"How many?"

"Eight. No, seven."

"Which is it?"

"Seven. Ages fifteen to eighteen," he adds in case that makes a difference.

"You're young."

There's no further response, and Justin fears he's lost the connection. It is too dark to see the stars, so he assumes the storm clouds are directly overhead. Just as he's about to try changing the station dial, the man is back.

"I'm flying a small helicopter for surveillance of the area. I'll be passing over Manhattan tomorrow morning around oh-six-hundred. I can pick you up and take you back to Atlanta with me."

"Atlanta? To the CDC?"

"That is correct. One of the few legitimate safe zones in the nation." He almost sounds amused, but that might be the static coming through the line.

Everyone around him starts cheering, and Justin can't help but smile. "Thank you. Thank you so much. Where can we meet you?"

"I need space to land, like a rooftop. I can't get any closer to the ground."

Zeke unfolds the map. "What about the Downtown Hospital? That's only a couple blocks from here."

"Perfect." To the helicopter pilot, Justin says, "Do you know where Downtown Hospital is?"

"I can find it. Be there at oh-six-hundred, or you're on your own again."

"Thank you." While he has this man on the line, Justin can't help but ask a question he might not want the answer to. "What's happening outside the quarantine?"

"The same thing happening in there. The quarantine zones were ineffective. The virus has been spreading all across the country, and there have been recent reports appearing around the world."

He swallows. Even expecting the information didn't prepare him for it. "What about the people who were evacuated from Manhattan and Brooklyn?"

"They were probably taken to one of the safe zones. As far as I know, they're still going strong."

"But what about the people who aren't in safe houses? People like us who are stuck?"

There's another moment of silence. "Look, we're trying our best, but we can't save everyone."

Justin knows better than to push this man going out of his way to help them. "I understand. Thank you."

"Signing off now. Over."

"Yeah, over."

Max climbs onto Justin's back and lets out a _whoop_of excitement as a rumble of thunder echoes around them. He smiles and picks up the radio. They all head back inside and the heavy air that crowded them for days seems to have lifted. With everyone's spirits radically raised, he finds it difficult to concentrate on writing down his theories regarding the virus.

"Why don't you stop and relax for a few minutes?" Alex sits in the pew in front of him, leaning her head on her arms against the back of the bench. Her face is still red and blotchy from crying.

"Because this is important. I want to record the progression of the virus from first-hand experience."

"Why?"

"Just in case."

Her dark eyes burrow in to him, but he refuses to meet her gaze. "In case what?"

"Something happens to me." He doesn't give her a chance to respond. "I wanted better news about the outside, but at least we're being rescued. We can get out of here. Getting T.J. to the CDC will help in discovering a cure. This will all be a nightmare we'll wake up from."

She plays along. "Should we tell T.J. about the anti-whatevers he has?"

"And give him a worse superiority complex?"

They laugh and look at where the redhead is lounging with Gigi, who is smiling without any of her usual snide undertones. Justin puts aside his notes to take a cue from them. He props up his feet on the bench next to Alex's head. She smirks before moving around to sit beside him and mirror his relaxed stance, right down to folding her hands in her lap the same way.

"Mom would have a cow right now."

Justin smiles, looking up at the arched ceiling above them. "Well, I already destroyed all those candles. I'm pretty sure if I'm going to Hell, it's not for being rude and destructive in a church."

"Like you're going to Hell. You're the most perfect person I know."

"I'm not perfect, Alex."

"But you're not a murderer or anything."

"I abandoned Mr. Laritate." Those few words almost consume him. His heart painfully constricts, and his eyes start burning. "I let him die."

"Justin, no."

"I couldn't save him."

"You did everything you could. There was nothing left. It was out of your control."

"Yeah, but—"

"Justin," she growls out before kicking his feet off the bench. "Just stop it. I know it's not fair, but it's not your fault. Don't let his. . ." She can't say the word. "Don't let this be in vain. Don't blame yourself. Don't."

Alex is crying before he knows it, so he gently pulls her to his side.

"It really wasn't fair," she says. "We were so close to being rescued."

Justin almost mentions that he should have thought of transmitting a call for help sooner, but his hindsight won't bring back Mr. Laritate. Alex's breathing steadily slows until he thinks she might be asleep. The constantly overwhelming stress of the day wears on him as he closes his eyes.

"Justin," she whispers.

"Mmm?"

"What about the Wizard World now?"

"I don't know. With the portals gone, there's no way to get there," he answers without opening his eyes. "But there is still magic here, and we're proof of that. We just have to keep hoping that everything will turn out all right. Wait for some word, some good news."

"And you think we'll find Mom and Dad?"

"Definitely. They made it safely out of New York. We only need to find out where they were taken. They might even be in Atlanta by now."

"Okay." Alex snuggles up against him, and he holds her close.

He takes his basically useless cell phone and sets an alarm for five in the morning. He figures it is better to start walking to the hospital while it's still dark. He noticed that the infected seem more active during the daylight hours. This way, he hopes they can make it to their extraction point without incident.

-/-/-

The first time Justin dozes off, he wakes in a panic with the ghostly image of Mr. Laritate fresh in his mind. It takes a moment for him to remember all that has happened in the past few days. Alex has her head in his lap, and she seems as at peace as possible in the situation. He brushes her thick black hair with his fingers as he starts to fall asleep again, wishing they could stay like this together, without a care. It is easy for him to dream they are back at home on their orange couch, but it won't need to last much longer. Rescue is right around the dawn.


	9. Rescue

**Part 9 – Rescue**

Justin wakes to the sound of his phone alarm ringing, and he nearly dumps Alex out of his lap when he moves to stand up.

She lifts a hand to her messy hair and groans. "What the hell time is it?"

"Early." He rubs his eyes and stretches until he feels more awake, then he goes to the center aisle between the pews and makes sure all their belongings are still packed.

Zeke and Harper are the next ones fully awake, the early risers they usually are. Max takes just as much convincing as Alex, but once the two of them start moving, the energy in the room warms up. Justin changes T.J.'s dressing again, careful to check the progression of his healing. The wounds are hardening, building a protective layer of skin, which makes Justin even more certain he was right. Magic might have started this mayhem, but now it's the only possibility to save the human population.

Everyone gathers around to hear Justin's plan.

"All right. The hospital is only a few blocks away. But as soon as we step outside, we need to be fast and quiet. We can't draw attention to ourselves. We'll go out the front doors and head left. At the next main road, we turn right, and it's a straight shot from there. I say we hold off on breakfast until we reach the hospital. I don't want to miss the helicopter for any reason. Okay?"

"No food?" Max holds his stomach which must be grumbling in protest.

He is surprised when Alex doesn't say anything because she is the biggest eater in the family after Jerry. But she's been exceptionally helpful and understanding this whole time, and he doesn't take that for granted. He looks at T.J., however, and realizes none of them can make it far on little sleep and no nourishment.

"I have fruit and granola bars we can eat on the way, but we need to get moving before it's too late." He shoulders two of the duffel bags and unlocks the front doors.

They leave the safety of the church and walk into the brisk morning air. Harper and Gigi both hold flashlights while Zeke assists T.J., who is nearly able to hobble on his own. Max acts as the eyes of the group from the front. Alex passes out the granola bars, and Justin watches around them from the back.

Moving as quickly as possible, they make it to the next main street without issue. From there, they walk down the middle of the street in a huddled group. When Justin falls back a ways, Alex follows suit.

"What if this hospital is full of the infected?" she asks, making sure the others can't hear her.

"I thought of that. So far, they've only been coming from the North. But it's still a possibility, that's why we need to be careful. If anything, we just need to plan on making it the roof. I hope T.J. can make it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Without power, our only option is a lot of stairs. Walking this far will already put too much stress on his body when he should be resting. Maybe Zeke and I can carry him up or something."

"I can help."

Justin laughs louder than he intended, and Harper throws a curious look at them.

Alex slaps his arm. "It wasn't funny."

"Did you hear that?" Gigi asks from up ahead.

"Justin being annoying?" Alex says, sticking her tongue out at him.

"No, _that_."

They stop walking long enough to pick up the unmistakable scream from one of the monstrous infected. A chill spreads through Justin's spine. At Alex's worried expression, he tries to soothe the group.

"All right, don't panic. Pick up the pace, but keep the noise to a minimum. They sound far away."

They stop talking as the early light of the morning falls over the buildings, casting shadows all around them. In the grey light, Alex thinks she sees things moving in the corner of her eyes, but she can't be sure.

The cries of the monstrous infected continue, and as they travel south-east along the street, they can practically feel safety within their reach. That's when an angry roaring shout comes from behind them. Justin doesn't need to turn around to know they are suddenly in a bad way.

"Run!" he yells. "Just run to the hospital!"

Justin tries to keep with the others, but they're slowing down due to T.J.'s injuries. He checks over his shoulder to find there is a group of six infected gaining on them too quickly. They won't all make it like this. He stops running and takes his heavy flashlight in hand.

"What are you doing?" Alex yells.

"Keep going! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

"No! You'll be killed!" She frantically pulls at him, but he plants his feet and pushes her away.

"Just go and make sure you get out of here. I'll try to catch up if I can."

Harper starts pulling Alex along with her, but Justin realizes Max is right beside him, holding his own flashlight.

"Hey, my karate can finally come in good use," Max says with an uneasy smile.

Justin wants to tell him no, but his rapidly beating heart says he needs the help. They don't wait for the infected. They keep running after their friends until they hear the pounding footsteps behind them. Justin whirls around and lands a hard blow to the first guy's head, and the momentum sends the infected falling to the ground.

There's no time to think after that. Justin launches into the offensive, hoping Max can keep up. The back of his mind knows there is something wrong because he was trained to hunt monsters not humans, but in this instant he can't tell the difference. Every time he thinks he might have taken care of them, the infected right themselves and keep attacking. If they feel pain, they don't care.

Justin struggles for breath, and once he knocks them down again, he and Max take off. Somewhere along the battle Justin lost his bags. But the others are half a block ahead, and the hospital isn't far. They can make it. Checking over his back, the infected have definitely slowed down. It looks like Max broke one of the girl's legs, but she's still trying to chase them.

Another infected screams from up ahead. Justin can't see anything yet, but he pushes his legs faster than he's ever run before with Max at his side. Sprinting puts quite a distance between the infected group behind them and within range when infected appear out of the side streets. Before they can attack his friends, Justin swings his flashlight into the base of an infected guy's head, making him fall to the ground. The infected doesn't get back up again, and Justin keeps running to take down the others coming out of the alleys.

Three of them are almost on top of Alex and Harper. Justin's panic wells up into a familiar feeling in the center of his being. He raises his hand and releases an invisible wall of force that sends the infected flying apart, tumbling to the ground. Justin heaves a laugh despite his burning lungs and the stitch beneath his ribs. Zeke, T.J., and Gigi are turning into the lot for the hospital. They are so close.

"Justin!" Max's shout comes too late as an infected throws himself at Justin.

They both go down, and Justin slams his head against the pavement hard enough to see stars behind his eyes. He can hear Max screaming from somewhere above him, and the body rolls away so he can catch his breath. Max pulls him to his feet and the world spins around him. He tries to run in a straight line into the lot, guided by Max who is saying something Justin can't make out. He can only hear the ringing in his ears.

Somehow, they both make it into the hospital through one of the only manual doors. Justin tries to stop to block the door, but when he looks outside the glass, he sees about twenty infected running for them. Max pulls him to the entrance to the stairwell off to the right, and Justin stops after the door closes.

"Someone has to hold the door," he says. He doesn't even know if he said it loud enough, but Max's face says he understands.

Justin reads the words "I'll do it," from Max, so he shakes his head, which causes his stomach to roll. He sits down against the bottom of the door, bracing one of his feet against the opposite stairs.

"Please, Max. Make sure everyone gets to the helicopter. Do it, or I'll never forgive you."

His brother's brown eyes are too sad. Justin closes his eyes, leaning his head gently against the door. He feels Max's hand on his shoulder for a brief moment, and when Justin peeks, Max is running up the stairs.

Justin's hearing is starting to return, and breaking glass sounds far away. He knows it's not. He smiles to himself. He'll just have to keep the infected out long enough. Only long enough.

-/-/-

Alex is out of breath by the time they reach the rooftop. Zeke and T.J. collapse to the floor. Alex has to look away from where blood is seeping through T.J.'s shirt.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like a helicopter!" Harper points the sky.

She holds her breathe until her lungs burn as she peers up at the cloudy grey sky. Dawn is fast approaching, and a warm yellow light lends a haze across the skyline. She does hear the faint sound of the helicopter then, and sucks in a deep breath.

The helicopter breaks through the clouds, and they wave to the pilot as if he might not remember the reason why he's flying toward them. Alex watches the copter fly lower and lower, and the sound of the propellers drowns out everything else. She nearly jumps out of her skin when Max opens the door, but she doesn't see Justin with him.

"Where is he? Max, where's Justin?" She couldn't hide the panic in her voice if she tried.

Max spots the helicopter, but his eyes start watering.

"He's holding the door against the infected." He has to shout to be heard.

Alex rushes to the railing of the stairs. She can't see Justin from several flights up, but she can just barely hear the commotion. Dismay settles around her heart when she sees the helicopter is almost hovering over them. She can't leave him. She can't.

She quickly embraces Max, speaking close to his ear. "Do you still have that piece of paper with the address for Dad's cousin?" She doesn't wait for him to respond. "Just in case. Make sure everyone here is safe, then try to find Mom and Dad. Justin and I will get to Atlanta on our own. We'll see each other again, I promise. I love you, Max."

Her brother is already protesting, but she shoves him through the doorway and closes the door. She hits the latch to lock the door from the inside, so no one can get in or out. She can barely hear Max shouting her name. The helicopter sounds like it must have landed. She hesitates and sends up a prayer for their safe flight. Then she takes off down the stairs as fast as she can.

Alex lands on the first floor, horrified to see Justin struggling to keep the door to the lobby closed. Four arms reach through the narrow opening, clawing at Justin's clothes. She can see the snarling faces, and without thinking, she launches her body at the door. The infected squeal at the additional pressure against them, and the arms disappear through the opening.

In between his heaving breaths, Justin says, "Alex? What—?"

"Let's go!" she cuts him off.

"I can't."

"We can't hold them off forever."

Justin lurches forward with the door, but between the two of them, they manage to keep it closed again.

"I locked the door to the roof. Everyone's safe," she says. "Let's just get out of here."

A strange light appears in Justin's eyes. "On the roof, did you see another door?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know. I didn't get a good look. The helicopter was coming."

"It's worth a try," he says, clearly talking more to himself. "We need to get out on the second floor and head to the other side of the hospital. Think we can outrun them?"

She leans harder against the door as Justin stands up. "Guess we'll find out."

With one look, they both leave the door, traveling up around the stairs as fast as they can. The door bangs open behind them, but they make it to the second floor entrance first. Alex takes Justin's hand in hers, and they keep running.


	10. Horizon

**Part 10 – Horizon**

Justin and Alex lose the infected somewhere in the twisting corridors of the second floor. They duck into various rooms to let the mindless people run past. It is an insane game of hide and seek, but they get the hang of it until they reach the other side of the hospital. They eventually find the other stairwell and escape is close enough to taste.

Justin stumbles often, but each time Alex helps him to his feet. And when they reach the roof, they can finally rest easy. The helicopter is long gone, but Alex expected as much. However, all of their bags were left on the roof.

"I guess they were thinking of us," Alex says.

"More like this stuff couldn't be brought onto the helicopter." Justin sees something that makes him bend down, but he gets lightheaded, and ends up sitting down and holding his head. When he can see without black spots in his vision, he picks up a semi-automatic hand gun that was left with the bags.

"Maybe they were thinking of us," he says with a laugh. They could have used that gun earlier, but it will still come in handy.

"Is your head okay?" Alex sits down beside him.

The open wound on his head still hasn't stopped bleeding. His shirt is sticky with blood.

"I don't know. How big is the cut?"

"Um. There's too much blood in the way, I can't tell." Her fingers brush against his head, and he winces away. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I'll be all right."

Just as they start to relax, they hear a crash of glass and various screams. Alex and Justin walk to the edge of the roof to see the infected jumped from the second-story windows. Most of them get back up, but a few remain laying on the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Alex asks.

They watch as the infected run out of the hospital area, back down an alley between two buildings, hidden from view.

"It's like they were scared. They were trapped in there, so they got out any way they could. It's interesting that they stay in groups, so much like wild animals."

"Yeah, interesting." Alex rolls her eyes and sits down, hanging her legs over the edge. Justin almost berates her for recklessness, but instead he sits and lets his legs dangle alongside hers.

"That was really stupid, what you did," he says.

"What?"

"Coming back for me. You should be on that helicopter right now."

"Without you? No way. Although it might have been nice to be the oldest for once."

Justin laughs even though his head throbs in resentment. "I'm serious. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grateful. And relieved. If I'm going to keep living, I guess I don't want to do it without you, Alex."

"Good, 'cause you're stuck with me." She smiles. She is dirty and grimy, but in the golden light of the morning, she is still so radiant. It makes his heart ache in a good way.

An eerie inhuman howl echoes in the streets below them, and Alex shivers.

"What will happen to us?" she asks.

He only has one answer when he looks at her and a warmth bubbles up inside him. It is the only thing that makes sense with them. He leans down and chastely kisses her before whispering, "We will survive."

Alex's eyes brighten, and she rests her head on Justin's shoulder. Then they watch the sun rise on their very different lives, knowing they will make it. Together.

-/-

-/-

_The En- To be continued. . ._

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story. :D I have planned for this to be a trilogy with two sequels, so I hope there is some interest in that. Lol, I'm writing them regardless, but I would love to know your guys' thoughts after reading this fic.<p>

So much love for all of you. *hearts* (Yes, yes, back to _Principles_, I know.)


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